Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

cajole

/kəˈdʒəʊl/ verb

In Latin: lactō, sublectō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cajole at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering.
He palavered her into going along

Origin

Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola (whence English caveola), diminutive of Latin cavea (“cage, coop, enclosure, stall”). More at cage, cave, cavum, cavus, and jail.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word