equivocation
noun/ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/ · /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃn̩/
Etymology c. 1380, from Middle English equivocacion, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”); a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (homōnumía).
1
Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences A logical fallacy resulting from the use of multiple meanings of a single expression.
2
The use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, possibly intentionally and with the aim of misleading.
- Federal courts have mostly ruled against the executive branch in such cases. The equivocation that has characterized the [Trump] administration’s legal responses to date is turning into objection and refusal.2025 April 18, Henry Gass, “Amid deportation dispute, Trump and courts square off on who has last word”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
- Related terms
- amphiboly, evasion, evasiveness, prevarication, equivoque