Dictionary

cavil

verb cav·il \ˈka-vəl\

: to complain about things that are not important

cav·iled or cav·illedcav·il·ing or cav·il·ling\ˈka-və-liŋ, ˈkav-liŋ\

Full Definition of CAVIL

intransitive verb

: to raise trivial and frivolous objection

transitive verb

: to raise trivial objections to

— cavil noun

— cav·il·er or cav·il·ler \ˈka-və-lər, ˈkav-lər\ noun

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Latin cavillari to jest, cavil, from cavilla raillery; akin to Latin calvi to deceive — more at calumny

First Known Use: 1542

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