Word of the Day

Wednesday August 12, 2009

tergiversation [tuhr-jiv-uhr-SAY-shuhn]

noun

The use of evasions or deliberate ambiguities; subterfuge.

Most politicians started out as lawyers, silver-tongued barristers whose very job description involves bending the truth, tergiversation and, sometimes, outright lying.

Joe Queenan, "Trust me on this; You say you won't vote for a candidate who isn't trustworthy? I say you're lying to yourself", Los Angeles Times, Dec 23, 2007
He abandoned his longstanding opposition to federal funding for Aids research in 1993 after a personal appeal from a former member of his senate staff who was suffering from the syndrome. While some dismissed Thurmond's tergiversations on such matters as cynical, others regarded them as evidence of his humanity.

"Strom Thurmond", The Times, Jun 28, 2003
As the debates progressed, it was increasingly evident that Douglas found himself hard pushed. Lincoln would not allow himself to be swerved from the main issue by any tergiversation or personal attacks.

George Haven Putnam (1844 - 1930) An American soldier, publisher, and author. Abraham Lincoln (1909)

Origin of the Word

Tergiversation, approximately 1570, derives from Latin tergiversationem (nominative tergiversatio) "a shifting, evasion," from tergiversari "turn one's back on, evade," from tergum "the back" (of unknown origin) + versare "to spin, turn."