equivocation

equivocation

English

Alternative forms

• æquivocation (archaic)

Etymology

c. 1380, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiōnem, accusative singular of aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”);a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (homōnumía).[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/, /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃn̩/, /əˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃn/
• Hyphenation: e‧quiv‧o‧ca‧tion
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

equivocation (countable and uncountable, plural equivocations)

1. (logic) A logical fallacy resulting from the use of multiple meanings of a single expression.
2. The use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, possibly intentionally and with the aim of misleading.

Related terms

• amphiboly, evasion, evasiveness, prevarication

Translations

Logical fallacy

Dutch: ambiguïteitsdrogreden f, equivocatie, gelijknamigheid f French: équivocité (fr) f Hungarian: mellébeszélés Occitan: équivocitat f

Polish: ekwiwokacja f Portuguese: equivocidade f Spanish: equívoco (es) m, equivocidad (es) f Swedish: ekvivokation (sv)

Expression susceptible of a double signification, possibly misleading

Bulgarian: двусмислица (bg) f (dvusmislica) Dutch: dubbelzinnigheid (nl) f French: équivoque (fr) f, quiproquo (fr) m German: Mehrdeutigkeit (de) f, Doppeldeutigkeit (de) f, Ambiguität (de) f, Zweideutigkeit f, Vieldeutigkeit f, Wortspiel (de) n, Wortverdrehung f Hungarian: köntörfalazás (hu)

Japanese: 二枚舌 (nimaijita) Polish: ekwiwokacja f Spanish: ambigüedad (es) f, evasivas (es) f pl Swedish: tvetydighet (sv)

References

1. “equivocation” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

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Old French

Noun

equivocation f (oblique plural equivocations, nominative singular equivocation, nominative plural equivocations)

1. equivocation
   • Si avoit trovee occasion de li gaber par l'equivocation de son nom