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Tergiversate

Definition: Tergiversate

Tergiversate

Verb

1. Be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information.

2. Abandon one's beliefs or allegiances.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "tergiversate" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1762. (references)

Etymology: Tergiversate \Ter"gi*ver*sate\, intransitive verb. [Latin expression tergiversatus, past participle of tergiversari to turn one's back, to shift; tergum back versare, freq. of vertere to turn. See Verse.]. (references)

 

Synonyms: Tergiversate

Synonyms: apostatise (v), apostatize (v), equivocate (v), palter (v), prevaricate (v). (additional references)

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Modern Translation: Tergiversate

Language Translations for "tergiversate"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

shmangem (circumvent, deflect, depart, deviate, diverge, dodge, duck, escape, eschew, fence, fend off, fight shy of, forbear, funk, give a wide berth, glance, jink, jump, keep one's distance, leapfrog, Miss, Parry, refrain, shirk, shun, sidestep, steer clear of, wander), jam tradhtar. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

ставам ренегат (renegade), усуквам (convolve, equivocate, lay, palter, strand, throw, twist), меня позициите си, правя противоречиви изказвания, извъртам (boggle, dodge, double talk, equivocate, pull round, screw, shift, shuffle, sophisticate, twist, wangle, whiffle). (various references)

   

Czech

  

vytáèet se (fence, hedge one's bets, shuffle, stall, wriggle out of), vymlouvat se. (various references)

   

German

  

sich widersprechen (contradict oneself). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

υπεκφεύγω (dodge, elude, evade, fudge, palter, prevaricate, quibble, shift, shuffle, shun), αντιφάσκω (contradict). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

לערוק (bolt, desert, escape, flee, rat, renegade), ל"יות "פכפך. (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

kertel (prevaricate, to palter, to prevaricate, to pussyfoot, to shuffle, to tergiversate). (various references)

   

Italian

  

disdirsi. (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

ergiversatetay.(various references)

   

Portuguese

  

tergiversar (prevaricate, shuffle), virar as costas, virar a casaca, usar de evasivas, renegar (abnegate, deny, disown, forswear, recant), apostatar (apostatize). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

увертываться (dodge, equivocate, jink), быть отступником. (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

vrdati (hedge, jink, prevaricate, stagger, wriggle). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

tergiversar (distort, misconstrue, prevaricate, shift). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

göra undanflykter (dodge). (various references)

   

Turkish

  

parti değiştirmek (change one's allegiance, rat), kaçamaklı konuşmak (equivocate), din değiştirmek (vert). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Tergiversate

Derivations

Words beginning with "tergiversate": tergiversated, tergiversates. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Tergiversate" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: trivariate. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Tergiversate"

Words rhyming with "tergiversate" (pronounced 'Ter"gi*ver*sate'): Cassate, Conquassate, insensate, Linearensate, Manganesate, Ptenoglossate, Pulsate, Vagissate. (additional references)

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Anagrams: Tergiversate

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-e-e-e-g-i-r-r-s-t-t-v"

-2 letters: reiterates.

-3 letters: aigrettes, reiterate, retargets, retrieves, serviette, vegetates, veritates.

-4 letters: aigrette, ariettes, arrestee, arteries, eagerest, eateries, egestive, ergative, estivate, etageres, greasier, greatest, greeters, grievers, grisette, iterates, register, regrates, regreets, resetter, restrive, retarget, retirees, retreats, retrieve, reveries, riveters, steerage, straiter, tarriest, teariest, tergites, traverse, treaters, treaties, treatise, vegetate, vegetist, virgates.

-5 letters: aeriest, aigrets, ariette, arrives.

 Words containing the letters "a-e-e-e-g-i-r-r-s-t-t-v"
 

+1 letter: tergiversated, tergiversates.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Translations: Modern
4. Derivations
5. Rhymes
6. Anagrams
7. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.