Meaning
To secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
From French conniver (“to ignore and thus become complicit in wrongdoing”), or directly from its etymon Latin con(n)īvēre (“close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; overlook, turn a blind eye, connive”) (perhaps alluding to two persons involved in a scheme together winking to each other), from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + *nīvēre (related to nictō (“to blink, wink”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, droop”)).
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle: