/ˈkæv.əl/, /ˈkæv.ɪl/
OriginFrom Old French caviller (“mock, jest, rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering, raillery, scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed within English from the original verbal usage.
- intransitiveTo criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.
“'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.”
“Stranleigh found no difficulty in getting a cavalcade together at Bleacher’s station, an amazingly long distance west of New York. A man finds little trouble in obtaining what he wants, if he never ca”
“I wish you wouldn't cavil, Hilda.”
- A petty or trivial objection or criticism.
“It is not worth while to spend your time in arguing against a cavil, but make him feel he is committing a sin to plead it, and thus enlist his conscience on your side.”
Formscavils(present, singular, third-person) · caviling(US, participle, present) · cavilling(UK, participle, present) · caviled(US, participle, past) · caviled(US, past) · cavilled(UK, participle, past) · cavilled(UK, past) · cavel(alternative) · cavell(alternative) · cavils(plural)