"equivocate" meaning in English

See equivocate in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt/ [US] Audio: en-us-equivocate.ogg Forms: equivocates [present, singular, third-person], equivocating [participle, present], equivocated [participle, past], equivocated [past]
Etymology: From Late Middle English equivocaten, from Medieval Latin aequivocātus, perfect passive participle of aequivocō (“I am called by the same name”), from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”). Compare French équivoquer. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|equivocaten}} Middle English equivocaten, {{der|en|ML.|aequivocātus}} Medieval Latin aequivocātus, {{der|en|LL.|aequivocus||ambiguous, equivocal}} Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), {{cog|fr|équivoquer}} French équivoquer Head templates: {{en-verb}} equivocate (third-person singular simple present equivocates, present participle equivocating, simple past and past participle equivocated)
  1. (intransitive) To speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques. Tags: intransitive Synonyms: prevaricate, evade, shuffle, adumbrate Translations (to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive): извъртам (izvǎrtam) (Bulgarian), harhauttaa (Finnish), johtaa harhaan (Finnish), berdolak-dalih (Malay), uttrycka sig tvetydigt (Swedish), kaçamak konuşmak (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-equivocate-en-verb-ubZ~nka7 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Malay translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 78 22 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 79 21 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Malay translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 79 21 Disambiguation of "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive": 94 6
  2. (transitive) To render equivocal or ambiguous. Tags: transitive Translations (to render equivocal or ambiguous): saattaa kyseenalaiseksi (Finnish), kierrellä (Finnish), väistää (Finnish), pyöritellä (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-equivocate-en-verb-jTRmJQfe Disambiguation of 'to render equivocal or ambiguous': 6 94
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: æquivocate [archaic] Derived forms: equivocal, equivocator Related terms: prevaricate

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "equivocal"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "equivocator"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "equivocaten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English equivocaten",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ML.",
        "3": "aequivocātus"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin aequivocātus",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "aequivocus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ambiguous, equivocal"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "équivoquer"
      },
      "expansion": "French équivoquer",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Late Middle English equivocaten, from Medieval Latin aequivocātus, perfect passive participle of aequivocō (“I am called by the same name”), from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”). Compare French équivoquer.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "equivocates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "equivocate (third-person singular simple present equivocates, present participle equivocating, simple past and past participle equivocated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "prevaricate"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Malay translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 137, column 1:",
          "text": "Knock. Knock, knock. Who's there in th'other Deuils Name? Faith here's an Equiuocator, that could ſweare in both the Scales againſt eyther Scale, who committed Treaſon enough for Gods ſake, yet could not equiuocate to Heauen: oh come in, Equiuocator.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1687, Edward Stillingfleet, The Unreasonableness of Separation: Or, An Impartial Account of the History, Nature and Pleas of the Present Separation from the Communion of the Church of England:",
          "text": "All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed he meant to equivocate.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques."
      ],
      "id": "en-equivocate-en-verb-ubZ~nka7",
      "links": [
        [
          "double meaning",
          "double meaning"
        ],
        [
          "deceive",
          "deceive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "prevaricate"
        },
        {
          "word": "evade"
        },
        {
          "word": "shuffle"
        },
        {
          "word": "adumbrate"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "izvǎrtam",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "извъртам"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "harhauttaa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "johtaa harhaan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "berdolak-dalih"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "uttrycka sig tvetydigt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
          "word": "kaçamak konuşmak"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1647, George Buck, Reign of Richard the Third:",
          "text": "He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To render equivocal or ambiguous."
      ],
      "id": "en-equivocate-en-verb-jTRmJQfe",
      "links": [
        [
          "equivocal",
          "equivocal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To render equivocal or ambiguous."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
          "word": "saattaa kyseenalaiseksi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
          "word": "kierrellä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
          "word": "väistää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
          "word": "pyöritellä"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-equivocate.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/En-us-equivocate.ogg/En-us-equivocate.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/En-us-equivocate.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "word": "æquivocate"
    }
  ],
  "word": "equivocate"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms derived from Late Latin",
    "English terms derived from Medieval Latin",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Malay translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "equivocal"
    },
    {
      "word": "equivocator"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "equivocaten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English equivocaten",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ML.",
        "3": "aequivocātus"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin aequivocātus",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "aequivocus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ambiguous, equivocal"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "équivoquer"
      },
      "expansion": "French équivoquer",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Late Middle English equivocaten, from Medieval Latin aequivocātus, perfect passive participle of aequivocō (“I am called by the same name”), from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”). Compare French équivoquer.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "equivocates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "equivocated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "equivocate (third-person singular simple present equivocates, present participle equivocating, simple past and past participle equivocated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "prevaricate"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 137, column 1:",
          "text": "Knock. Knock, knock. Who's there in th'other Deuils Name? Faith here's an Equiuocator, that could ſweare in both the Scales againſt eyther Scale, who committed Treaſon enough for Gods ſake, yet could not equiuocate to Heauen: oh come in, Equiuocator.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1687, Edward Stillingfleet, The Unreasonableness of Separation: Or, An Impartial Account of the History, Nature and Pleas of the Present Separation from the Communion of the Church of England:",
          "text": "All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed he meant to equivocate.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "double meaning",
          "double meaning"
        ],
        [
          "deceive",
          "deceive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "prevaricate"
        },
        {
          "word": "evade"
        },
        {
          "word": "shuffle"
        },
        {
          "word": "adumbrate"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1647, George Buck, Reign of Richard the Third:",
          "text": "He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To render equivocal or ambiguous."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "equivocal",
          "equivocal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To render equivocal or ambiguous."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-equivocate.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/En-us-equivocate.ogg/En-us-equivocate.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/En-us-equivocate.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "word": "æquivocate"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "izvǎrtam",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "извъртам"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "harhauttaa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "johtaa harhaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "berdolak-dalih"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "uttrycka sig tvetydigt"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive",
      "word": "kaçamak konuşmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
      "word": "saattaa kyseenalaiseksi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
      "word": "kierrellä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
      "word": "väistää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to render equivocal or ambiguous",
      "word": "pyöritellä"
    }
  ],
  "word": "equivocate"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.