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.
Meanings
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. 1835, Charles G. Finney, Lectures on revivals of religion:
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Translations (12)
mk пригова́рање (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · bg заяждане (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · hy բծախնդրություն (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · fi nipotus (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · ro pisălogeală (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · pt sofisma (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · pl drobne zastrzeżenie (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · cs námitky (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · ru приди́рка (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · pt chicana (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · ro cicăleală (petty or trivial objection or criticism) · ro șicană (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
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.
Meanings
(intransitive) To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.
At the Centenary Banquet of the G.W.R. [Great Western Railway] in 1935, the then Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward VIII) honoured that railway with the title "The Royal Road," at which few will cavil in view of the long record of Royal Specials. 1954 June, Charles E. Lee, “Centenary of Paddington Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 425:
I wish you wouldn't cavil, Hilda. 1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter 16, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Gutenberg edition, [Florence, Italy]: [ […] Tipografia Giuntina, […]], →OCLC; republished as Lady Chatterley’s Lover (eBook no. 0100181h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, August 2011, archived from the original on 11 Nov 2020:
But their first supporting quotation, which is from The Selfish Gene, includes selfish genes that do have phenotypic effects. Far it be from me, however, to cavil at the honour of being quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary! 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Kindle edition, OUP Oxford, published 2016, page 368:
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 cavils at the price asked, and is willing to pay in advance. 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love. c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
The provision, then, which we have here made is no other than Human Nature. Nor do I fear that my sensible reader, though most luxurious in his taste, will start, cavil, or be offended, because I have named but one article. 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume I, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
cmn 挑剔 (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · ro cicăli (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · ro pisălogi (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · pl utyskiwać (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · el μεμψιμοιρώ (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · ru придира́ться (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · de nörgeln (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · fr chicaner (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · hy բծախնդրություն անել (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · cs mít připomínky (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · bg заяждам се (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · pt sofismar (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · hu piszkál (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · nl chicaneren (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · ro șicana (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · it cavillare (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · es poner peros (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · mk се бу́ни (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · es poner pegas (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · cs rýpat (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · cmn 吹毛求疵 (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · mk ситни́чари (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · fi nipottaa (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · de schikanieren (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · cs mít námitky (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · pl zrzędzić (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · el μικρολογώ (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · cs kritizovat (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · es poner reparos (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · de kritteln (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons) · pt chicanar (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)