cajole

Definition

To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.

Etymology

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.

Example Sentences

• "Then he Cajol'd vvith his Brother, and perſvvaded him vvhat Service he had done him, […]"
• "If you are cajoled by the cunning arguments of a trumpeter of heresy, or the praises of a puritanic old woman, is not that womanish?"
• "He had tried bullying, and without success. He would try cajoling and temptation."