strategy

noun

Etymology: From Ancient Greek στρατηγία (stratēgía, “office of general, command, generalship”), from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “the leader or commander of an army, a general”), from στρατός (stratós, “army”) + ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, conduct”).

1. The science and art of military command as applied to the overall planning and conduct of warfare.

   ““I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn’t I ? Why didn’t I telephone ? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. …””

2. A plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal.

   “Oftentimes, the very simple strategies pay very great dividends.”

   “Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close[…]above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world—camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background.”

3. The act of strategizing; the development of effective strategies.