Cavil

Cavil is a verb that means to make petty or unnecessary objections. Our word of the day’s origin is from the Latin word cavilla (Ka VEEL ah) which means ‘mockery.’ Caviling something is not quite the same as mocking it. Instead it is making petty observations in objection to something. Those who opposed the education bill caviled at the cost. This kind of petty objection has a way of stopping some important legislation.