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cavil - 6 dictionary results
cav⋅il
[kav-uh
l] 
verb, -iled, -il⋅ing or (especially British) -illed, -il⋅ling, noun –verb (used without object)
| 1. | to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually fol. 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; < L cavillārī to jeer, scoff, quibble, v. deriv. of cavilla jesting, banter
1540–50; < L cavillārī to jeer, scoff, quibble, v. deriv. of cavilla jesting, banter
Related forms:
cav⋅il⋅er; especially British, cav⋅il⋅ler, noun
cav⋅il⋅ing⋅ly; especially British, cav⋅il⋅ling⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms:
1. carp, complain, criticize.
1. carp, complain, criticize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To cavil
| cav·il (kāv'əl) v. cav·iled also cav·illed, cav·il·ing also cav·il·ling, cav·ils also cav·ils v. intr. To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. See Synonyms at quibble. v. tr. To quibble about; detect petty flaws in. n. A carping or trivial objection. [French caviller, from Old French, from Latin cavillārī, to jeer, from cavilla, a jeering.] cav'il·er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cavil
Cav"il\ (k[a^]v"[i^]l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Caviled or Cavilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Caviling or Cavilling.] [L. cavillari to practice jesting, to censure, fr. cavilla bantering jests, sophistry: cf. OF. caviller.] To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason. You do not well in obstinacy To cavil in the course of this contract. --Shak.Cavil
Cav"il\, v. t. To cavil at. [Obs.] --Milton.Cavil
Cav"il\, n. A captious or frivolous objection. All the cavils of prejudice and unbelief. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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