cav·il

[kav-uhl] verb, cav·iled, cav·il·ing or ( especially British ) cav·illed, cav·il·ling, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at or about ): He finds something to cavil at in everything I say.
verb (used with object)
2.
to oppose by inconsequential, frivolous, or sham objections: to cavil each item of a proposed agenda.
noun
3.
a trivial and annoying objection.
4.
the raising of such objections.

Origin:
1540–50; < Latin cavillārī to jeer, scoff, quibble, verbal derivative of cavilla jesting, banter

cav·il·er; especially British, cav·il·ler, noun
cav·il·ing·ly; especially British, cav·il·ling·ly, adverb
out·cav·il, verb (used with object), out·cav·iled, out·cav·il·ing or ( especially British ) out·cav·illed, out·cav·il·ling.
un·cav·il·ing, adjective
un·cav·il·ling, adjective


1. carp, complain, criticize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
cavil (ˈkævɪl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb , (US) -ils, -illing, -illed, -ils, -iling, -iled
1.  (intr; foll by at or about) to raise annoying petty objections; quibble; carp
 
n
2.  a captious trifling objection
 
[C16: from Old French caviller, from Latin cavillārī to jeer, from cavilla raillery]
 
'caviller
 
n
 
'cavilling
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Cavil is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to bark; yelp.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cavil
1548, from M.Fr. caviller "to mock, jest," from L. cavillari "to satirize, argue scoffingly," from cavilla "jeering," related to calumnia (see calumny).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
But one claiming the unique and favored position must establish his right thereto beyond doubt or cavil.
It is beyond cavil, then, that this reason for her termination had nothing whatsoever to do with her gender.
It is beyond cavil that this case does not involve the type of egregious misconduct that warrants an award of costs and fees.
It is beyond cavil that such alleged violation does not contravene an important matter of public policy.
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