2nd Word of the Day: Cabal

 

Cabal

[kə-BAL]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

1.

A secret political clique or faction.

2.

A secret intrigue.

Examples of Cabal in a sentence

"My favorite movie is about a powerful cabal during the French Revolution."

"Political coups around the world have been the result of a well-planned cabal."

Popularity Over Time

About Cabal

As a noun, cabal is usually used to describe a secret political group. It may be a powerful group in the government, or an outside faction. Either way, they're not going to be taking out political ads on TV. The noun can also be used to describe a plot from that group. Further, cabal can be converted to a verb to describe taking these secret actions.

Did you Know?

The word cabal can be traced back to cabbala, which is the Latin word for a form of Jewish mysticism. But it took on a more political meaning over the years, and Charles Dickens came up with an alternative origin. He claimed cabal was an acronym for the names of political figures under King Charles II — Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale. A clever story, but ultimately false.