Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

prevarication

/pɹɪˌvæɹ.ɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ noun

Latin root: praevāricātiō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prevarication at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Evasion of the truth.
Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls.
Deviation from what is right or correct.
A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; duplicity, deceit; violation of duty, transgression”, literally “stepping out of line”), from praevāricor (“to walk crookedly; go astray; transgress”) + -tās. The virtually obsolete sense of deviation or transgression may have been influenced by an earlier stage of borrowing via Middle English prevaricacioun, prevaricacion (“deviation from the law; transgression”) from Anglo-Norman prevaricaciun (“transgression, violation of correct conduct”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word