different between equivicate vs prevaricate

English

Alternative forms

• prævaricate (archaic)

Etymology

From the participle stem of Latin praev?ric?r? (“to walk crookedly, to play a false or double part”), from prae- + v?ric?re (“to stand with feet apart, straddle”), from v?rus (“deviating from the right line, bent outwards, different”), from Proto-Indo-European *w?- (“to bend apart”) (the root of various).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p???va??ke?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p???væ??ke?t/, /p???v???ke?t/

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, Britain) To undertake something falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

Synonyms

Derived terms

• prevaricatest
• prevarication
• prevaricator

Translations

See also

• lie

Italian

Verb

prevaricate

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