equivoque

or eq·ui·voke

[ ek-wuh-vohk, ee-kwuh- ]

See synonyms for equivoque on Thesaurus.com

noun

an equivocal term; an ambiguous expression.
a play on words; pun.

double meaning; ambiguity.

Origin of equivoque

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English equivoc (adjective); see equivocal

Words Nearby equivoque

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use equivoque in a sentence

Every thing, in a word, is tolerated which can in any way be passed into an equivoque.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808 | Lt-Col. Pinkney
It is easy to see how the Elizabethan tendency to word-quibble and equivoque would help to give currency to the Latin form.
The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare
I took the equivoque, which was incomprehensible to Harcourt: I hardly need say, that the latter and I were on the best terms.
Japhet in Search of a Father | Frederick Marryat
Not that the Law of Sufficient Reason is quite free from equivoque.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8 | Various
Charming oscillation, fascinating motion, most graceful equivoque!
The Sea | Jules Michelet

British Dictionary definitions for equivoque

equivoque

equivoke

/ (ˈɛkwɪˌvəʊk) /

noun

a play on words; pun
an ambiguous phrase or expression

double meaning; ambiguity

Origin of equivoque

C14: equivoc equivocal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse