[ prɪ'varɪkeɪt ]
■ verb speak or act evasively.
Derivatives
prevarication noun
prevaricator noun
Origin
C16 (earlier (ME) as prevarication and prevaricator ), in the sense 'go astray, transgress': from L. praevaricat- , praevaricari 'walk crookedly, deviate'.
Usage
Prevaricate and procrastinate have similar but not identical meanings. Prevaricate means ‘act or speak in an evasive way’, as in he ~d at the mention of money . Procrastinate , on the other hand, means ‘put off doing something’, as in the Western powers will procrastinate until it is too late .