PREVARICA'TION, noun A shuffling or quibbling to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; the practice of some trick for evading what is just or honorable; a deviation from the plain path of truth and fair dealing. 1. In the civil law, the collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. 2. In common law, a seeming to undertake a thing falsely or deceitfully, for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. 3. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office or commission.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI