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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pre·var·i·cate       (prĭ-vār'ĭ-kāt')  Pronunciation Key  intr.v.   pre·var·i·cat·ed, pre·var·i·cat·ing, pre·var·i·cates To stray from or evade the truth; equivocate. See Synonyms at lie2. [Latin praevāricārī, praevāricāt- : prae-, pre- + vāricāre, to straddle (from vāricus, straddling, from vārus, bent).] pre·var'i·ca'tion n., pre·var'i·ca'tor n.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

prevaricate

verb

be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information [syn: beat around the bush]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Prevaricate

Pre*var"i*cate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Prevaricated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prevaricating.] [L. praevaricatus, p. p. of praevaricari to walk crookedly, to collude; prae before + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus straddling, varus bent. See Varicose.]

1. To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement.

He prevaricates with his own understanding. --South.

2. (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.

3. (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

Syn: To evade; equivocate; quibble; shuffle.

Usage: Prevaricate, Evade, Equivocate. One who evades a question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside to some other point. He who equivocate uses words which have a double meaning, so that in one sense he can claim to have said the truth, though he does in fact deceive, and intends to do it. He who prevaricates talks all round the question, hoping to "dodge" it, and disclose nothing.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Prevaricate

Pre*var"i*cate\, v. t. To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert. [Obs.] --Jer. Taylor.