Also 6–7 cavel(l. [a. OF. cavill-er (14th c. in Godef.) to mock, jest, rail, ‘to cauill, wrangle, reason crossely, speake ouer thwartly’ (Cotgr.), ad. L. cavillāri (whence also It. cavillare, Sp. cavilar, Pg. cavillar), to practise jeering or mocking, satirize, jest, reason captiously, f. cavilla a jeering, scoffing, raillery.]
1. intr. ‘To raise captious and frivolous objections’ (J.); to object, dispute, or find fault unfairly or without good reason. Const. at, about (formerly also against, with, on).
1548. Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Mark ii. 19 b. Wheras ye can not thwarte and cauyll in the thynges you see doen before your iyes.
1564. Brief Exam., ***** iij b. Men dyd not cauill agaynst theyr whyte vestures.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 140. But in the way of Bargaine … Ile cauill on the ninth part of a hayre.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., 28. Let no man cauil at my doing in that I have chaunged my opinion.
1635. Swan, Spec. M., i. § 3 (1643), 14. After this manner, such mockers reasoned and cavilled with S. Peter.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 8. He … who cavelled against the Prophet.
1750. Warburton, Lett. late Prelate (1809), 61. Without finding anything considerable to cavil with you upon.
1798. Malthus, Popul. (1878), 88. When the harvest is over they cavil about losses.
a. 1852. Webster, Wks. (1877), VI. 163. Those who do not value Christianity … cavil about sects and schisms.
1871. Rossetti, Dante at Ver., liii. To cavil in the weight of bread And to see purse-thieves gibbeted.
1884. Sir W. Brett, in Law Times Rep., LI. 530/1. The rule exists, and I have not the smallest intention of cavilling at it.
† b. with object-clause. Obs.
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. ix. 19. He may cauill that the hed of the equilater triangle shall not fall betwene the two right lines.
1714. Gay, What d’ye call it, Pref. They cavil at it as a Comedy, that I had partly a View to Pastoral.
2. trans. To object to or find fault with captiously.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 232/2. This were perhappes not altogether from the purpose, that is cavilled.
1621. Bp. Mountagu, Diatribæ, 422. Nor can you cauill him for leauing out the word.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 759. Wilt thou enjoy the good, Then cavil the conditions?
1750. Warburton, Wks. (1811), VIII. 96. The testimony of Amm. Marcellinus, decisive as it is, hath been cavilled.
1875. Manning, Mission H. Ghost, ix. 256. There are men whose intellectual pride cavils and perverts, criticises and distorts, every truth of the revelation of God.
† b. with away, out: To do away with, bring out, by cavilling.
1642. Milton, Apol. Smect. (1851), 294. His seventh section labours to cavill out the flawes which were found in the Remonstrants logick.
1645. W. Jenkyn, Serm., 28. ’Tis this which doth cavill away our peace and holinesse.
† 3. in sense of L. cavillāri. Obs.–0
1570. Levins, Manip., 126. Cauil, calumniari, cauillari.
1613. R. C., Table Alph. (ed. 3), Cauill, to iest, scoffe, or reason subtilly.
1616. in Bullokar.
