prevarication

[L. praevaricatio: cf. F. prévarication.]

1. The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing.

The august tribunal of the skies, where no prevarication shall avail.

2. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.

3. (Law) (a) (Roman Law) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. (b) (Common Law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Cowell.

noun

1. The use or an instance of equivocal language: ambiguity, equivocation, equivoque, euphemism, hedge, shuffle, tergiversation, weasel word. Informal waffle. See clear/unclear.
2. An untrue declaration: canard, cock-and-bull story, falsehood, falsity, fib, fiction, inveracity, lie², misrepresentation, misstatement, story, tale, untruth. Informal fish story, tall tale. Slang whopper. See true/false.

Deceitful, dishonest, or unfaithful conduct.

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
  Synonym: lie

Meaning #2: intentionally vague or ambiguous
  Synonyms: equivocation, evasiveness

Meaning #3: the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
  Synonyms: lying, fabrication