Strategy

How to spell strategy

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce strategy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does strategy mean?

1. nounA carefully devised plan of action designed to reach a long-term goal.

Strategy in a sentence

• The board approved a five-year growth strategy for the company.

• Her revision strategy focused on past exam papers and timed practice.

Where does strategy come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word strategy comes from the Greek stratēgia, meaning 'generalship' or 'the office and skill of a commander'. That noun was built on stratēgos, a military general, which itself joined stratos 'army, that which is spread out as an encampment' with agein 'to lead'. So a strategos was literally the one who leads the army, and his stratēgia was the art of directing a whole campaign rather than a single fight. English picked the word up in the early 1800s, partly through French stratégie, at first strictly for military planning before it broadened into any long-term plan in business, politics, or daily life. The single -t-, the -teg- middle, and the final -y (not -gy heard as a separate chunk) are the usual spots where writers hesitate, so it helps to recall the buried 'general' inside strateg-.

How the word is built

• strateg- (from Greek stratēgos: general, army leader)
• -y (noun suffix)