prevaricate
/pɹɪˈvaɹɪkeɪt/
prevaricate means to deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
prevaricate is pronounced /pɹɪˈvaɹɪkeɪt/.
Why “prevaricate” is a great word
To speak or act in an intentionally ambiguous or evasive way, especially to avoid telling the truth directly. From the Latin praevāricārī, from prae- ("before") + vāricāre ("to straddle, stand with legs apart"), literally meaning "to walk crookedly," hence to deviate from straightforwardness, first attested in English in the 1580s. Unlike “lie,” which plants a flag in a clear falsehood, or “equivocate,” which clouds meaning with calculated vagueness, to prevaricate is to sidestep and dodge, a verbal dance of deflection. It is the politician’s artful pivot to an unrelated statistic, the sighing, floorward glance of a child caught out, the careful, labyrinthine phrasing of a bureaucrat’s memo that answers every question except the one that was asked—the body in motion, the mind in retreat, truth always just beyond the grasp of straight words.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin praevāricātus, perfect active participle of praevāricor (“to walk crookedly; to play a false or double part”), from prae- + vāricō (“to stand with feet apart, straddle”), from vāricus (“with feet spread apart”); see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb
- To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
- To speak or act in a manner that is intentionally ambiguous or evasive; equivocate.e.g.“The people saw the politician prevaricate every day.”
- To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
- To undertake something falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.