prevaricate

Definitions

1. 1.(Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
2. 2.(Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it. -- Prevaricate, Evade, Equivocate. One who evades a question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside to some other point. He who equivocate uses words which have a double meaning, so that in one sense he can claim to have said the truth, though he does in fact deceive, and intends to do it. He who prevaricates talks all round the question, hoping to "dodge" it, and disclose nothing.
3. 3.To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "prevaricate" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is prevaricate.

• What is to collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution called?
• What is to evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor called?