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tergiversate

ter·gi·ver·sate
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [tur-ji-ver-seyt]
    • /ˈtɜr dʒɪ vərˌseɪt/
    • /ˈtɜː.dʒɪ.və.seɪt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [tur-ji-ver-seyt]
    • /ˈtɜr dʒɪ vərˌseɪt/

Definitions of tergiversate word

  • verb without object tergiversate to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate. 1
  • verb without object tergiversate to turn renegade. 1
  • verb tergiversate to change sides or loyalties; apostatize 0
  • verb tergiversate to be evasive or ambiguous; equivocate 0
  • intransitive verb tergiversate to desert a cause, party, etc.; become a renegade; apostatize 0
  • intransitive verb tergiversate to use evasions or subterfuge; equivocate 0
See all 6 definitions of tergiversate

Information block about the term

Origin of tergiversate

First appearance:

before 1645
One of the 44% oldest English words
1645-55; < Latin tergiversātus (past participle of tergiversārī to turn one's back), equivalent to tergi- (combining form of tergum back) + versātus, past participle of versāre, frequentative of vertere to turn; see -ate1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Tergiversate

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Tergiversate

tergiversate popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 40% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 69% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

tergiversate usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for tergiversate

verb tergiversate

  • absented — not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.
  • absenting — not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.
  • absents — not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.
  • apostatize — to forsake or abandon one's belief, faith, or allegiance
  • beaching — an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore.
All 54 Synonyms of tergiversate

See also

Matching words

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