Link Centre Dictionary

cavil

ca·vil

US/ˈkæv.əl/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections

Synonyms

verb

1.

raise trivial objections

Synonyms

Origin

From Old French caviller (“mock, jest, rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering, raillery, scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed within English from the original verbal usage.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.