# Machiavelli

> English word · Proper noun · frequency rank #41,747

## Definitions
1. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), Italian statesman and writer, whose work The Prince (1532) advises that acquiring and exercising power may require unethical methods.

## Etymology
Probably from Italian mal- + chiavello, in which the second component is a diminutive of chiavo (“nail”). The name is attested in a Late Latin document in the form Malclavelli.

## Common misspellings (14)
`amchiavelli`, `macchiavelli`, `machaivelli`, `machhiavelli`, `machiaevlli`, `machiaveli`, `machiavelil`, `machiavleli`, `machiavvelli`, `machivaelli`, `macihavelli`, `mahciavelli`, `mcahiavelli`, `mmachiavelli`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/machiavelli