Caviling
/ˈkævəlɪŋ/noun
Making petty or deliberately distracting objections or criticisms.
Did you know?In Latin, cavillari meant “to jest or mock,” while cavillatio referred to deceptive quibbling in argument—turning wit into verbal evasion.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
cavillārī
“To joke, mock, or use wordplay deceptively”
Classical Latin
Latin
cavilla
“Mockery, jeering, or sarcastic wordplay”
Medieval Latin
Latin
cavillare
“To quibble or raise sophistical objections”
14th Century
Old French
caviller
“To criticize captiously or find fault”
16th Century
English
cavil
“To make petty objections or use evasive criticism”
Modern English
English
caviling
“Making petty objections; the chiefly American spelling of “cavilling””
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