Cavil
/ˈkæv.əl/noun
To make petty or trivial objections, especially in a fault-finding way.
Did you know?Cavil entered English through Latin and French as a term for captious, quibbling criticism, and its older roots are linked to the idea of a hollow or empty sound—like arguments with no substance.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
cavillari
“to mock, jest, or raise captious objections”
Latin
Latin
cavilla
“jeering, mockery, quibbling”
Old French
French
caviller
“to carp, quibble, raise trivial objections”
14th Century
English
cavilen
“to make petty or annoying objections”
Modern English
English
cavil
“to object in a petty or captious way”