dʒɪ verb (used without object), ter·gi·ver·sat·ed, ter·gi·ver·sat·ing.
1.
to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.
2.
to turn renegade.
Origin:
1645–55; < Latin tergiversātus (past participle of tergiversārī to turn one's back), equivalent to tergi- (combining form of tergum back) + versātus, past participle of versāre, frequentative of vertere to turn; see -ate1
1645–55; < Latin tergiversātus (past participle of tergiversārī to turn one's back), equivalent to tergi- (combining form of tergum back) + versātus, past participle of versāre, frequentative of vertere to turn; see -ate1
Related forms
ter·gi·ver·sa·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To tergiversate
00:10
Tergiversate
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tergiversate (ˈtɜːdʒɪvəˌseɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to change sides or loyalties; apostatize |
| 2. | to be evasive or ambiguous; equivocate |
| [C17: from Latin tergiversārī to turn one's back, from tergum back + vertere to turn] | |
| tergiver'sation | |
| —n | |
| 'tergiversator | |
| —n | |
| tergiversant | |
| —n | |
| tergi'versatory | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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