Cavilous
/ˈkævɪləs/noun
Inclined to raise petty or unnecessary objections; captious.
Did you know?Cavilous comes from Latin cavillari, meaning “to mock” or “to jest,” before English narrowed the idea into making trivial objections.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
cavillārī
“To jest, mock, or make frivolous objections”
Late Latin
Latin
cavilla
“Mockery, raillery, or empty argument”
Middle English
English
cavilen
“To raise petty objections or find fault”
16th Century
English
cavil
“A trivial objection or captious criticism”
17th Century
English
cavilous
“Captious; inclined to cavil”
Modern English
English
cavilous
“Rare or archaic: fault-finding and petty in criticism”