Definitions

1. verb

to engage in or be guilty of petty or trifling disputes, or of quibbling over small or insignificant matters

“The lawyer was accused of pettifogging over minor details in the contract.”

2. noun

a person who habitually engages in petty or trifling disputes, or in quibbling over small or insignificant matters

“The judge was frustrated with the pettifogger who kept delaying the trial.”