tergiversation

Definition

The act of abandoning something or someone, of changing sides; desertion; betrayal.

Etymology

From Latin tergiversātiō, from tergiversārī (“to turn one's back, to evade, to avoid”) + -tiō (“-tion: forming abstract nouns”). Equivalent to tergiversate + -ion.

Example Sentences

• "They make their outward impudence their mask, as foxes, the better we may not see where they truly tend, nor their true black tergiversation beneath."
• "Anyone who desires an hour's amusement may be advised to look up the tergiversations of eminent craniologists in their attempts to prove from brain measurements that women are stupider than men."

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