equivocate etymology

Etymology

• Old French: equivocquer, equivoquier, from Latin: aequivocus, aequivocare, meaning "to say the same thing in two ways"
• The Latin prefix aequi- means "equal" or "alike," and vocare means "to call" or "to speak."

Meaning and Origin

Equivocate means to use ambiguous or evasive language to avoid committing to a clear position or to mislead intentionally. It can also refer to an equivocal statement that has two or more possible meanings.

The term's origin lies in the Latin phrase "aequivocare voces," which means "to use words with double meanings." In medieval logic, equivocation was considered a logical fallacy because it allowed arguers to avoid addressing the real issue by using ambiguous or misleading terms.

Examples

• "The politician equivocated on his stance on climate change, saying he 'believed in science' but also supported 'economic growth.'"
• "The witness equivocated about whether he saw the defendant on the night of the crime, saying he 'might have' but couldn't be sure."
• "The equivocal statement 'The sky is blue' is true when referring to daytime, but false when referring to nighttime."

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