Prevarication

·noun A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.

II. Prevarication ·noun The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution.

III. Prevarication ·noun A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

IV. Prevarication ·noun The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing.