Dictionary entry

Tergiversate

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Ter″gi‐ver‐sate (?), v. i. [L. tergiversatus, p. p. of tergiversari to turn one's back, to shift; tergum back + versare, freq. of vertere to turn. See Verse.] To shift; to practice evasion; to use subterfuges; to shuffle. Bailey.