Stife

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Bitter conflict or angry discord between people, groups or nations that breeds hostility and division
2. An archaic term for struggle, quarrelling or dissension marked by open hostility between opposing parties
3. Violent or heated disagreement and contention that sets individuals or communities against one another

Etymology: "Stife" is an obsolete spelling of "strife," which in Middle English appeared in several forms, including "strif" and "stife." Its ancestry runs through Old French, where "estrif" meant contention or struggle and was closely tied to the verb "estriver," "to strive." That verb probably came from a Germanic source related to the Frankish "*strīban," which meant to strive or to fight. The noun and the verb were thus once close kin, and "strife" carried the sense of a struggle or a contest as much as of bitter quarrel. English also had a native word with the same root, Old English "strīð," meaning conflict or violence, so the word arrived in English reinforcing an existing stock of terms. The spelling "stife" faded out as the modern form "strife" became standard.

Synonyms: strife, discord, dissension, conflict, contention

Antonyms: peace, harmony, concord, amity, accord