prevarication

From Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, Middle French prevarication, and their source, Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”), from the stem of praevāricor.

• (non-merged vowel) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˌvæɹɪˈkeɪʃən/
• (merged vowel) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˌvæɹəˈkeɪʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

prevarication (countable and uncountable, plural prevarications)

1. (now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct; transgression, perversion.
2. Evasion of the truth; deceit, evasiveness.

   Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls.

   • Cowper

     The august tribunal of the skies, where no prevarication shall avail.

   • 2012, The Economist, Oct 6th 2012, Charlemagne: Mysterious Mariano

     Mr Rajoy frustrates many with his prevarication over a fresh euro-zone bail-out, which now comes with a conditional promise from the European Central Bank (ECB) to help bring down Spain’s stifling borrowing costs.

3. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.
4. (law, historical, Ancient Rome) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution.
5. (law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Cowell to this entry?)

• prevaricate
• prevaricator

• lie
• equivocate

• Prevarication in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

prevarication f (plural prevarications)

1. prevarication (deviation from what is right)

• English: prevarication (borrowed)
• French: prévarication