praevaricari

Praevaricari is a Latin verb meaning to prevaricate—to act evasively, deceitfully, or in a manner designed to mislead or avoid giving a direct answer. The term is used primarily in classical and late antique Latin, especially in juridical, moral, and rhetorical contexts, to describe officials who sidestep duty, judges who obscure the truth, or speakers who dodge straightforward conclusions. The corresponding noun praevārīcātiō (prevarication) denotes this misconduct in a formal sense.

Etymology is uncertain, but the sense is commonly described as turning away from the truth or deviating from a straightforward path. The form praevārīcari is typically treated as a deponent verb in Latin, where the form is passive but the meaning is active.

In Roman law and public administration, praevārīcari is used of officials who attempt to influence outcomes by evasive testimony, delaying procedures, or presenting appearances that mislead others. In philosophical and rhetorical literature, it can describe a speaker who refuses to answer directly or who uses equivocation to avoid a clear conclusion.

In modern English-language scholarship, prevaricate and prevarication derive from this Latin root; however, the Latin term is primarily encountered in historical or textual studies rather than everyday usage of Latin. The English word prevaricate carries the same general sense of evasive or deceitful behavior, connected to the Latin lineage.

See also: prevaricate, prevarication.