equivocate
verb [intransitive, transitive] (formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they equivocate | |
| he / she / it equivocates | |
| past simple equivocated | |
| past participle equivocated | |
| -ing form equivocating |
to talk about something in a way that is deliberately not clear in order to avoid or hide the truth （故意）含糊其词，支吾，搪塞 Lincoln hated slavery but equivocated in public statements about racial equality. 林肯讨厌奴隶制，但在关于种族平等的公开声明中模棱两可。 - + speech
‘I'm not sure,’ she equivocated. “我不确定，”她含糊其辞。
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘use a word in more than one sense’): from late Latin aequivocat- ‘called by the same name’, from the verb aequivocare, from aequivocus, from Latin aequus ‘equally’ + vocare ‘to call’.