Fratch

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /fɹæt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. A conflict or disagreement that usually involves prolonged arguments
2. An ongoing dispute or contentious situation frequently marked by bickering
3. A drawn-out disagreement characterized by persistent arguments and hostility

Etymology: The verb "fratch" began life as a sound rather than a quarrel. In Middle English, "fracchen" meant to make a harsh or strident noise, something like a creak or a grating rasp. The image is of hinges or machinery complaining, and the jump from noise to conflict is easy to picture: a harsh, grating voice is the sound of an argument. The sense of wrangling survives most clearly in Scots, where "fratch" means to quarrel, and English kept the same root in its modern meaning of a long, bitter dispute. The word is a good example of how an onomatopoeic sound can drift from the physical into the social, so that a creak becomes a feud.