prevaricate
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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
|
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
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
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- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Law
- British English
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian verb forms
- Italian past participle forms
- Spanish non-lemma forms
- Spanish verb forms