tergiversation

== English == === Etymology === From Latin tergiversātiō, from tergiversārī (“to turn one's back, to evade, to avoid”) + -tiō (“-tion: forming abstract nouns”). Equivalent to tergiversate +‎ -ion. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /tɝd͡ʒɪvɚˈseɪʃən/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /tɜːd͡ʒɪvəˈseɪʃən/ Rhymes: -eɪʃən === Noun === tergiversation (countable and uncountable, plural tergiversations) The act of abandoning something or someone, of changing sides; desertion; betrayal. Synonyms: perfidy, prodition; see also Thesaurus:betrayal The act of evading any clear course of action or speech, of being deliberately ambiguous; equivocation; fickleness. ==== Related terms ==== tergiversate ==== Translations ==== === Anagrams === interrogatives, reinvestigator == French == === Etymology === From Latin tergiversātiōnem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /tɛʁ.ʒi.vɛʁ.sa.sjɔ̃/ === Noun === tergiversation f (plural tergiversations) delays in providing a clear answer caused by hesitations or an outright unwillingness to be forthright ==== Usage notes ==== Usage as a pluralia tantum rather than as a mass noun is more common. === Further reading === “tergiversation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012