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cavilling

[kav-uhl] Origin

cav·il

[kav-uhl] 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 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.

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Cavilling is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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), -iled, -il·ing or (especially British) -illed, -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. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
cavil (ˈkævɪl)
 
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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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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