Quarrell

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A dispute marked by disputes and arguments can be described as a quarrel
2. this term also encompasses the act of participating in a heated disagreement or conflict
3. A serious disagreement or argument between people ; the action of taking part in a dispute, often involving anger or hostility

Etymology: The word has two unrelated ancestors that happened to converge on one spelling. The argument sense descends from Latin "querela," a complaint or lament, built on "queri," to complain. It reached English through Anglo-Norman and Middle French and was already in use in Middle English as "querele," meaning a dispute, a legal suit, or even armed combat. The verb "querelen," to dispute or to rebel, followed from the same noun. The crossbow sense has a completely different path. A crossbow bolt was a "quarrel" because Old French "quarrel" meant a square-sectioned bolt, and that name traces back to Latin "quadrum," a square. The same Old French word also gave us a square floor tile and a small square window pane. A quarrel, in other words, was once a square-edged piece of metal, not an angry exchange. Because the two words were spelled identically in English, speakers never saw the crossbow bolt and the fight as separate things, and the spelling "quarrell" with its double L was one of several variants used for both.

Synonyms: argue, fight, dispute

Antonyms: reconcile, agree