The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Devise \De*vise"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Devised; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Devising.] [OF. deviser to distribute, regulate, direct,
   relate, F., to chat, fr. L. divisus divided, distributed, p.
   p. of dividere. See Divide, and cf. Device.]
   1. To form in the mind by new combinations of ideas, new
      applications of principles, or new arrangement of parts;
      to formulate by thought; to contrive; to excogitate; to
      invent; to plan; to scheme; as, to devise an engine, a new
      mode of writing, a plan of defense, or an argument.
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            To devise curious works.              --Ex. CCTV.
                                                  32.
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            Devising schemes to realize his ambitious views.
                                                  --Bancroft.
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   2. To plan or scheme for; to purpose to obtain.
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            For wisdom is most riches; fools therefore
            They are which fortunes do by vows devise.
                                                  --Spenser.
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   3. To say; to relate; to describe. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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   4. To imagine; to guess. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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   5. (Law) To give by will; -- used of real estate; formerly,
      also, of chattels.

   Syn: To bequeath; invent; discover; contrive; excogitate;
        imagine; plan; scheme. See Bequeath.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

devising
    n 1: the act that results in something coming to be; "the
         devising of plans"; "the fashioning of pots and pans"; "the
         making of measurements"; "it was already in the making"
         [syn: devising, fashioning, making]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

55 Moby Thesaurus words for "devising":
   architecture, assembly, authorship, beginning, building, casting,
   coinage, composition, conception, concoction, construction,
   contrivance, contriving, conversion, crafting, craftsmanship,
   creation, creative effort, cultivation, elaboration, erection,
   extraction, fabrication, fashioning, formation, forming,
   formulation, framing, generation, growing, handicraft, handiwork,
   harvesting, hatching, improvisation, invention, machining, making,
   making do, manufacture, manufacturing, milling, mining, mintage,
   molding, origination, prefabrication, preparation, processing,
   producing, raising, refining, shaping, smelting, workmanship