Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.v. dep. n. [ter gum], to turn one's back; hence, to decline refuse; to boggle, shuffle, seek a shift or eva sion; to shift, tergiversate (a favorite word of Cicero; “otherwise rare): itaque eam ter giversari non sinent secumque rapient,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 28, 81: “an cuncter et tergiverser, ut lis me dem, qui, etc.,” id. Att. 7, 12, 3: “quid taces? quid dissimulas? quid tergiversaris?” id. Planc 19, 48: “hunc aestuantem et tergiversantem judicio ille persequitur, id Fl. 20, 47. Fannius invitus et huc atque il luc tergiversans,” id. Rosc. Com. 13, 37; id Att. 16, 5, 3: “quid tergiversamur?” id. Tusc 3, 18, 41 in his tribus generibus non incal lide tergiversantur, id. Off. 3, 33, 118: “non est locus ad tergiversandum,” id. Att. 7, 1, 4: “consules ipsos tergiversari, Liv. 2, 23, 13: movebant consulem haec, sed tergiversari res cogebat,” id. 2, 27, 3: accusatores aut ca lumniantur aut praevaricantur aut tergi versantur...Tergiversari, in universum ab accusatione desistere. Dig. 48, 16, 1.— Hence, tergiversanter , adv., back wardly, reluctantly: “pugnam inire,” Vell. 1, 9, 3.