# prevaricate

> English word · Verb · IPA /pɹɪˈvaɹɪkeɪt/

## Definitions
1. To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
2. To speak or act in a manner that is intentionally ambiguous or evasive; equivocate.
3. To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
4. To undertake something falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

## 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).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prevaricate