tergiversate

English

WOTD – 19 December 2008

Etymology

From Latin tergiversor (“turn one's back, make excuses”); from tergum (“the back”) + versō, frequentive of vertō (“turn”).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA: /ˈtɜːdʒɪvəseɪt/
(US) enPR: tər-jɪv'ər-sāt, IPA: /tɝˈdʒɪvɝseɪt/, X-SAMPA: /t@`"dZIv@`seIt/
Audio (US)
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Verb

tergiversate (third-person singular simple present tergiversates, present participle tergiversating, simple past and past participle tergiversated)

(intransitive) To evade, to equivocate using subterfuge; to deliberately obfuscate.
- 1999, Philip McCutchan and Werner Levi, The Hoof, ISBN 0816600864, page 18:
  The officials soon concluded that the easiest way to remain on good terms with the court was to elude responsibility, to tergiversate, to prevent results.
(intransitive) To change sides or affiliation; to apostatize.
- 2002, Colin Morris and Peter Roberts, chapter 8, Pilgrimage: The English Experience from Becket to Bunyan, ISBN 0521808111, page 221:
  Henry had hesitated before authorising the spoliation; he would soon tergiversate on others matters of doctrine but this act was irreversible.

Synonyms

(to evade, obfuscate): prevaricate
(to change sides): desert

Derived terms

tergiversation

Translations

to evade, to equivocate using subterfuge; to deliberately obfuscate

Czech: vytáčet (cs) se, vymlouvat se (cs)
French: se dérober (fr); tergiverser (fr) (in part)

Portuguese: tergiversar (pt)
Russian: уклоняться, увиливать, увёртываться

to change sides or affiliation; to apostatize

Czech: odpadnout (cs), přeběhnout (cs)
Finnish: kääntää (fi) takkinsa (fi)

French: changer de camp (fr), retourner sa chemise (fr)
Russian: предавать, отступаться

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