prevaricate

English

WOTD – 5 December 2006

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

  • (UK) IPA(key): /pɹɪˈvaɹɪkeɪt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /pɹɪˈvæɹɪkeɪt/, /pɹɪˈvɛɹɪkeɪt/
  • (file)

Verb

prevaricate (third-person singular simple present prevaricates, present participle prevaricating, simple past and past participle prevaricated)

  1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
  2. (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.
  3. (intransitive, law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
  4. (law, UK) To undertake something falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Italian

Verb

prevaricate

  1. inflection of prevaricare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Participle

prevaricate f pl

  1. feminine plural of prevaricato

Spanish

Verb

prevaricate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of prevaricar combined with te
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