| 1 | Old French | caviller | to mock; to make fun of; to make a joke about |
| 2 | Latin | cavillor | I jeer, mock, satirize; I gainsay, quibble, or... |
| 3 | Latin | cavilla | jeering, raillery, scoffing |
| 4 | Latin | cavus | hollow, concave; excavated, channeled;... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kawos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱowh₁ós | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewh₁- | to swell; to be strong |