Tuesday, September 11, 2007

captious

Main Entry: cap·tious

Pronunciation: 'kap-sh&s

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English capcious, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French captieux, from Latin captiosus, from captio deception, verbal quibble, from capere to take -- more at HEAVE

1 : marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections

2 : calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument < a captious question>

synonym see CRITICAL
- cap·tious·ly adverb
- cap·tious·ness noun

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