prevaricate
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- prævaricate (archaic)
Etymology edit
From the participle stem of Latin praevāricārī (“to walk crookedly; to play a false or double part”), from prae- + vāricāre (“to stand with feet apart, straddle”), from vāricus (“with feet spread apart”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
prevaricate (third-person singular simple present prevaricates, present participle prevaricating, simple past and past participle prevaricated)
- (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
- (intransitive) To shift or turn from direct speech or behaviour; to deviate from the truth; to evade the truth; to waffle or be (intentionally) ambiguous.
- The people saw the politician prevaricate every day.
- (intransitive, law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
- (law, UK) To undertake something falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
deviate, transgress
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shift or turn from direct speech or behaviour, to equivocate
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(law) collude
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See also edit
Italian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Verb edit
prevaricate
- inflection of prevaricare:
Etymology 2 edit
Participle edit
prevaricate f pl
Spanish edit
Verb edit
prevaricate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of prevaricar combined with te