prevarication

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; duplicity, deceit; violation of duty, transgression”, literally “stepping out of line”), from praevāricor (“to walk crookedly; go astray; transgress”) + -tās. The virtually obsolete sense of deviation or transgression may have been influenced by an earlier stage of borrowing via Middle English prevaricacioun, prevaricacion (“deviation from the law; transgression”) from Anglo-Norman prevaricaciun (“transgression, violation of correct conduct”). === Pronunciation === (non-merged vowel) enPR: prĭ-văr′ĭ-kā′shən, IPA(key): /pɹɪˌvæɹ.ɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (merged vowel) enPR: prĭ-văr′ə-kā′shən, IPA(key): /pɹɪˌvæɹ.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ Rhymes: -eɪʃən === Noun === prevarication (countable and uncountable, plural prevarications) Evasion of the truth. Synonyms: deceit, evasiveness (archaic, now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct. Synonyms: transgression, perversion A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office. (Ancient Rome, law, historical) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. (law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. ==== Related terms ==== prevaricate prevaricator ==== Translations ==== === See also === lie equivocate === References === “prevarication”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. === Further reading === Prevarication in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911) “prevarication”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “prevarication”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to XII), New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 4716, column 2. “prevarication”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. “prevarication, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “prevarication”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “prevarication”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “prēvāricāciǒun, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. prevaricaciun on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub == Middle French == === Noun === prevarication f (plural prevarications) prevarication (deviation from what is right) ==== Descendants ==== French: prévarication → Middle English: prevaricacioun, prevaricacion English: prevarication