cavil
UK[ˈkav(ə)l]US[ˈkævəl]
v
To make petty or unnecessary objections.
n
A petty or trivial objection or criticism.
Etymology
The verb 'cavil' entered English in the mid-16th century from the French 'caviller', which itself derived from the Latin 'cavillari', meaning 'to jeer, mock, or quibble'. The Latin root is 'cavilla', meaning 'raillery' or 'jesting'. The core semantic thread from its ancient origin to its modern meaning is the idea of frivolous or deceptive argumentation. It evolved from the general concept of jesting mockery to the more specific modern sense of raising trivial, often irritating, objections.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Latin. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes in modern English spelling without altering its form.
Examples
He tends to cavil at minor details instead of addressing the main argument.
Her only cavil about the plan was the color of the brochure.
It's hard to have a productive discussion with someone who cavils about every single word.