Quarrelsomeness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒɹəlsm̩nəs/

Definitions

1. The trait of being predisposed to conflict and disputes
2. The characteristic of frequently engaging in arguments or disputes with others
3. A tendency to provoke or be involved in disagreement or conflict

Etymology: Quarrelsomeness is a plain compound: the adjective "quarrelsome" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective itself is built from "quarrel" and the suffix "-some," which means "full of" or "tending toward," so a quarrelsome person is one full of quarrels. The suffix "-ness" has a long pedigree. It descends from Old English "-nes," which in turn came from a Proto-Germanic ending that formed nouns of state or quality, and it has been attaching itself to adjectives in English ever since. The result is that "quarrelsomeness" is a true native English formation, not a borrowing. Its parts are all Germanic in origin, even though "quarrel" itself was borrowed from Old French and Latin before English adopted it. That makes the word a blend of the old and the newly borrowed, built from an inherited suffix and an adjective that English had already made its own.

Synonyms: argumentativeness, belligerence, contentiousness, disputatiousness, pugnacity

Antonyms: peacefulness, agreeableness, harmony, conciliation, calmness