"prevarication" meaning in English

See prevarication in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /pɹɪˌvæɹɪˈkeɪʃən/ (note: non-merged vowel), /pɹɪˌvæɹəˈkeɪʃən/ (note: merged vowel) Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav Forms: prevarications [plural]
Rhymes: -eɪʃən Etymology: From Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, Middle French prevarication, and their source, Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”), from the stem of praevāricor. Etymology templates: {{der|en|xno|prevaricassion}} Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, {{der|en|frm|prevarication}} Middle French prevarication, {{der|en|la|praevāricātiō||collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit}} Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”) Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} prevarication (countable and uncountable, plural prevarications)
  1. (now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct. Tags: archaic, countable, uncountable Synonyms: transgression, perversion Translations (deviation from what is right or correct): шикалкавене (šikalkavene) [neuter] (Bulgarian), overtreding (Dutch), prévarication [feminine] (French), Verfehlung [feminine] (German), Übertretung [feminine] (German), Verstoß [masculine] (German), prevaricación [feminine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-prevarication-en-noun-kX-cRLkS Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 37 17 35 2 10 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 34 22 33 2 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 35 21 34 1 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 30 23 34 4 9 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 31 24 34 3 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 31 24 34 2 8 Disambiguation of 'deviation from what is right or correct': 85 4 8 1 2
  2. Evasion of the truth. Tags: countable, uncountable Synonyms: deceit, evasiveness Translations (deceit, evasiveness): извъртане (izvǎrtane) [neuter] (Bulgarian), uitvlucht [masculine] (Dutch), draaierij [masculine] (Dutch), subterfuge [masculine] (French), faux-fuyant [masculine] (French), échappatoire [feminine] (French), dérobade [feminine] (French), Ausflucht [masculine] (German), Tatsachenverdrehung [feminine] (German), Wahrheitsverzerrung [feminine] (German), utflukt [masculine] (Norwegian), Jeheichel [neuter] (Plautdietsch)
    Sense id: en-prevarication-en-noun-T8oEDv6Z Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 37 17 35 2 10 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 34 22 33 2 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 35 21 34 1 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 30 23 34 4 9 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 31 24 34 3 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 31 24 34 2 8 Disambiguation of 'deceit, evasiveness': 14 61 15 2 8
  3. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office. Tags: countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-prevarication-en-noun-cMJrdo1l Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Norwegian translations, Terms with Plautdietsch translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 37 17 35 2 10 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 25 15 51 2 7 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 34 22 33 2 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 35 21 34 1 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 26 22 36 8 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 30 23 34 4 9 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 31 24 34 3 8 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 26 23 39 4 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian translations: 27 23 34 8 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Plautdietsch translations: 27 27 40 1 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 31 24 34 2 8
  4. (Ancient Rome, law, historical) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. Tags: Ancient-Rome, countable, historical, uncountable Categories (topical): Ancient Rome, Law
    Sense id: en-prevarication-en-noun-PYxSNZ59 Topics: law
  5. (law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Law
    Sense id: en-prevarication-en-noun-BM~lgjk2 Topics: law
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: prevaricate, prevaricator, lie, equivocate

Inflected forms

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  "etymology_text": "From Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, Middle French prevarication, and their source, Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”), from the stem of praevāricor.",
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        "Deviation from what is right or correct."
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        "(now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct."
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          "word": "perversion"
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        {
          "_dis1": "85 4 8 1 2",
          "code": "bg",
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          "roman": "šikalkavene",
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          "word": "шикалкавене"
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          "_dis1": "85 4 8 1 2",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
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          "word": "overtreding"
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          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
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          "word": "prévarication"
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
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          "word": "Verfehlung"
        },
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          "_dis1": "85 4 8 1 2",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
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          "ref": "1782, William Cowper, “Retirement”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 291:",
          "text": "The trumpet—vvill it ſound? the curtain riſe? And ſhow th' auguſt tribunal of the ſkies, / VVhere no prevarication ſhall avail, / VVhere eloquence and artifice ſhall fail, […]",
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        {
          "ref": "1861, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XIII, in Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, part I, page 239:",
          "text": "The prevarication and white lies which a mind that keeps itself ambitiously pure is as uneasy under as a great artist under the false touches that no eye detects but his own, are worn as lightly as mere trimmings when once the actions have become a lie.",
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        {
          "ref": "2012 October 6, “Charlemagne: Mysterious Mariano”, in The Economist:",
          "text": "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.",
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          "_dis1": "14 61 15 2 8",
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          "roman": "izvǎrtane",
          "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
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            "neuter"
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          "word": "извъртане"
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          "code": "nl",
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          "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
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            "masculine"
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          "word": "uitvlucht"
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          "_dis1": "14 61 15 2 8",
          "code": "nl",
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          "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
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          "code": "fr",
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          "code": "fr",
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          "word": "Tatsachenverdrehung"
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          "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
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          "word": "utflukt"
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        "(Ancient Rome, law, historical) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution."
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        {
          "ref": "1628, Robert Le Grys, Argenis, translation of original by John Barclay:",
          "text": "If it shall appeare, that they haue forfeited their Faith, or wronged their Client by preuarication.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it."
      ],
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        "(law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˌvæɹɪˈkeɪʃən/",
      "note": "non-merged vowel"
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      "ipa": "/pɹɪˌvæɹəˈkeɪʃən/",
      "note": "merged vowel"
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      "rhymes": "-eɪʃən"
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  "word": "prevarication"
}
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        "5": "collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, Middle French prevarication, and their source, Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”), from the stem of praevāricor.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "prevarications",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "prevarication (countable and uncountable, plural prevarications)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "prevaricate"
    },
    {
      "word": "prevaricator"
    },
    {
      "word": "lie"
    },
    {
      "word": "equivocate"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Deviation from what is right or correct."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Deviation",
          "deviation"
        ],
        [
          "right",
          "right"
        ],
        [
          "correct",
          "correct"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "transgression"
        },
        {
          "word": "perversion"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1782, William Cowper, “Retirement”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 291:",
          "text": "The trumpet—vvill it ſound? the curtain riſe? And ſhow th' auguſt tribunal of the ſkies, / VVhere no prevarication ſhall avail, / VVhere eloquence and artifice ſhall fail, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1861, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XIII, in Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, part I, page 239:",
          "text": "The prevarication and white lies which a mind that keeps itself ambitiously pure is as uneasy under as a great artist under the false touches that no eye detects but his own, are worn as lightly as mere trimmings when once the actions have become a lie.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 October 6, “Charlemagne: Mysterious Mariano”, in The Economist:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Evasion of the truth."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "truth",
          "truth"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "deceit"
        },
        {
          "word": "evasiveness"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "abuse",
          "abuse"
        ],
        [
          "exercise",
          "exercise"
        ],
        [
          "public office",
          "public office"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "en:Ancient Rome",
        "en:Law"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Ancient Rome",
          "Ancient Rome"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "collusion",
          "collusion"
        ],
        [
          "informer",
          "informer"
        ],
        [
          "defendant",
          "defendant"
        ],
        [
          "sham",
          "sham"
        ],
        [
          "prosecution",
          "prosecution"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Ancient Rome, law, historical) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ancient-Rome",
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Law"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1628, Robert Le Grys, Argenis, translation of original by John Barclay:",
          "text": "If it shall appeare, that they haue forfeited their Faith, or wronged their Client by preuarication.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˌvæɹɪˈkeɪʃən/",
      "note": "non-merged vowel"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-prevarication.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˌvæɹəˈkeɪʃən/",
      "note": "merged vowel"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪʃən"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "šikalkavene",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "шикалкавене"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "word": "overtreding"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prévarication"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Verfehlung"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Übertretung"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Verstoß"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "deviation from what is right or correct",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prevaricación"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "izvǎrtane",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "извъртане"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "uitvlucht"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "draaierij"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "subterfuge"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "faux-fuyant"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "échappatoire"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "dérobade"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Ausflucht"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Tatsachenverdrehung"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Wahrheitsverzerrung"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "utflukt"
    },
    {
      "code": "pdt",
      "lang": "Plautdietsch",
      "sense": "deceit, evasiveness",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Jeheichel"
    }
  ],
  "word": "prevarication"
}

Download raw JSONL data for prevarication meaning in English (7.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). 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.