From the ArcaMax Publishing, Vocabulary Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/vocabulary/s-565209-905687
cajole \kuh-JOHL\ (transitive verb) - To persuade with flattery,
repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.
"It was his duty to push, prod, and cajole the parties into a
settlement." -- John Grisham, 'The Testament'
Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, "to
chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle
talk, to flatter," from Old French gaiole, jaiole, "a cage," from
Medieval Latin caveola, "a small cage," from Latin cavea, "an
enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage," from cavus, "hollow." It
is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol).