Stickle

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To insist rigidly on a point or demand ; to be excessively particular about something
2. To stand firmly on a principle and refuse to give way ; to show excessive concern for a detail or rule
3. To hold out stubbornly for something ; to make a fuss about a minor matter or standard

Etymology: Three separate English words have merged into one verb here, which is why "stickle" can mean almost opposite things. One strand comes from Old English "sticel," meaning "a prickle, sting, goad," and from Proto-Germanic roots tied to "stick." Another comes from Old English "sticel" in the sense of "high, lofty, steep," the sense that gives a steep, difficult climb. The verb we use today, to insist on a small point or to object over details, traces to a Middle English variant of "stightle," meaning "to order, arrange, direct," built on "stight" ("to order, rule, govern") with the frequentative suffix "-le," which marks repeated action. So to stickle once meant to keep ordering things about, and the sense of fussing over minor matters grew from that repetition. Its spelling and sound also carry a quirk: the ending shifted from "-tle" to "-kle," the same change seen in "huckleberry" and in the dialect form "turkle" for "turtle."

Synonyms: quibble, haggle, cavil, nitpick

Antonyms: agree, concur