Secretly planned or worked together with others to do something illegal or harmful.
From Latin 'conspirare,' combining 'con-' (together) and 'spirare' (to breathe), literally meaning 'to breathe together.' The sense evolved from physical togetherness to planned secrecy during the Middle Ages.
The original meaning was literally 'breathing together'—imagine a group huddled close, whispering plans. That image of intimacy and secrecy stayed with the word even as it became about criminal plotting, which is why it still feels dramatic and urgent.
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