prevaricate

****************************************************************
Introducing WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster definitions! Enjoy hours of challenging fun. Try it at:
http://www.wordsweep.com 
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for March 25 is:

prevaricate   \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\   verb
     : to deviate from the truth : equivocate

Example sentence:
     In Henry Fielding's novel _Tom Jones_, Squire Allworthy demands, "Look you, Mr. Dowling..., do not hesitate nor prevaricate; but answer faithfully and truly to every question I ask."

Did you know?
     "Prevaricate" and its synonyms "lie" and "equivocate" all refer to playing fast and loose with the truth. "Lie" is the bluntest of the three. When you accuse someone of lying, you are saying he or she was intentionally dishonest, no bones about it. "Prevaricate" is less accusatory and softens the bluntness of "lie," usually implying that someone is evading the truth rather than purposely making false statements. 
"Equivocate" is similar to "prevaricate," but it generally
implies that someone is deliberately using words that have more
than one meaning as a way to conceal the truth.





You Are Subscribed As: [email protected]
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102