Collusion

How to spell collusion

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce collusion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does collusion mean?

1. nounSecret cooperation or agreement between parties in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud others.

Collusion in a sentence

• The two firms fixed their prices through illegal collusion.

• Investigators found no evidence of collusion between the bidders.

Where does collusion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin collusio, a noun built on the verb colludere, which literally meant 'to play together'. That verb joined com-, meaning 'together', with ludere, meaning 'to play' or 'to sport'. The sense slid from innocent playing-together toward playing a shady game in private, so by classical times it already implied a secret understanding meant to cheat or deceive a third party. English took the word in during the late 1300s, largely through legal contexts where two parties were accused of conspiring against an opponent. The same ludere root still surfaces in 'ludicrous', 'prelude', and 'allusion', which is a useful reminder that the middle of collusion is spelled with the soft -lus-, not the -lud- of its Latin ancestor.

How the word is built

• col- (com-: together)
• lus (from ludere/lusum: to play)
• -ion (noun-forming suffix)