captiousness


cap·tious

C0093700 (kăp′shəs)adj.1. Marked by a disposition to find and point out trivial faults: a captious scholar.2. Intended to entrap or confuse, as in an argument: a captious question.
[Middle English capcious, from Old French captieux, from Latin captiōsus, from captiō, seizure, sophism, from captus, past participle of capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
cap′tious·ly adv.cap′tious·ness n.