TERGIVERSATIO

tergiversatio (t[schwa]r-jiv-[schwa]r-say-shee-oh), n. [Latin “being reluctant, hanging back”] Roman law. A delay tactic, esp. an accuser’s failure to pursue a criminal charge, perhaps by not appearing at the trial. • To withdraw an accusation, it was necessary to obtain the court’s permission for an annulment (abolitio). In A.D. 61, a law was passed by which […]