cavil

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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkæv.əl/
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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkæv.ɪl/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ævəl
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From 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.

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Armenian: բծախնդրություն (bcaxndrutʻyun) — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Bulgarian: заяждане (zajaždane) — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Czech: námitky — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Finnish: nipotus — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Macedonian: пригова́рање (prigováranje) — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Polish: drobne zastrzeżenie — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Portuguese: chicana — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Portuguese: sofisma — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Romanian: cicăleală — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Romanian: pisălogeală — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Romanian: șicană — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Russian: приди́рка (pridírka) — petty or trivial objection or criticism
• Armenian: բծախնդրություն անել (bcaxndrutʻyun anel) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Bulgarian: заяждам се (zajaždam se) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Chinese Mandarin: 吹毛求疵 (chuīmáoqiúcī) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Chinese Mandarin: 挑剔 (tiāotī) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Czech: mít námitky — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Czech: mít připomínky — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Czech: rýpat — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Czech: kritizovat — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Dutch: chicaneren — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Finnish: nipottaa — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• French: chicaner — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• German: nörgeln — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• German: kritteln — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• German: schikanieren — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Greek: μεμψιμοιρώ (mempsimoiró) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Greek: μικρολογώ (mikrologó) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Hungarian: piszkál — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Italian: cavillare — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Macedonian: се бу́ни (se búni) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Macedonian: ситни́чари (sitníčari) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Polish: utyskiwać — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Polish: zrzędzić — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Portuguese: chicanar — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Portuguese: sofismar — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Romanian: cicăli — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Romanian: pisălogi — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Romanian: șicana — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Russian: придира́ться (pridirátʹsja) — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Spanish: poner reparos — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Spanish: poner peros — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
• Spanish: poner pegas — to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons