from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. intransitive verb To argue or find fault over trivial matters; raise petty objections. synonym: quibble. intransitive verb To quibble about; point out petty flaws in. noun A carping or trivial objection. from The Cent...
"to raise frivolous objections, find fault without good reason," 1540s, from French… See origin and meaning of cavil.