# quarrel

Pronunciation: US say "KWAW-ruhl" /ˈkwɔɹəl/; UK say "KWO-ruhl" /ˈkwɒɹ(ə)l/

## Noun

1. A dispute or heated argument between people or groups, especially one carried on in words.
   - Simple: A disagreement or angry argument, especially a spoken one.
   - _The neighbors finally patched up their quarrel over the shared fence._
   - _A quarrel broke out between the two coaches after the disputed call._
3. A ground for dispute or objection, or a complaint, often after a form of have (to have no quarrel with someone); also, the resulting ill will and unhappiness.
   - Simple: A reason to disagree or complain, or the bad feeling between people that it causes.
   - _Critics had little quarrel with the film's acting but found its plot thin._
   - _The union's quarrel is not with automation itself but with how fast it is arriving._
5. An arrow or bolt shot from a crossbow or an arbalest, a large late form of crossbow, traditionally made with a head that is square in cross section.
   - Simple: A short arrow, or bolt, shot from a crossbow, usually with a four-sided head.
   - _Archaeologists recovered dozens of iron quarrels from the ditch below the castle wall._
   - _The crossbowman fitted a quarrel to the groove and waited for the riders to come within range._

## Verb

2. To argue fiercely or squabble, or to fall out so that people are no longer on friendly terms.
   - Simple: To argue angrily, sometimes about small things, or to stop being friendly with someone.
   - _Children who quarrel constantly can still grow up to be close friends._
   - _The two founders quarreled bitterly over money and have not spoken since._
4. To find fault with something, or to raise petty objections to it.
   - Simple: To say that something is wrong or not good enough, sometimes over small details.
   - _It is hard to quarrel with results like these._
   - _Several reviewers quarreled with the novel's rushed ending._

## Noun

6. A tendency or readiness to argue and squabble with others; a contentious temper. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A tendency to get into arguments with other people easily.
8. A small square-shaped opening in the tracery, the ornamental stonework, of a window. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A small square opening in the decorative stone pattern of a window.
   - _The mason cut a quarrel in the tracery of the east window to let more light into the chapel._
   - _Above the twin arches, four small quarrels pierce the stone tracery._
9. A cutting tool or chisel whose end is shaped like a diamond or a square. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A cutting tool, like a chisel, with a square or diamond-shaped end.
   - _The joiner set the point of his quarrel on the mark and struck it sharply with the mallet._
   - _Masons kept their quarrels sharp, since a dull edge would crack the stone._

## Verb

7. Followed by at: to disagree with something, or to take offense at it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To disagree with something or be offended by it, always followed by the word at.

## Other meanings

- (noun) One of the small diamond-shaped or square panes of glass set into a latticed window.
- (verb) To argue or squabble with someone; used transitively, with the person as the direct object.
- (noun) A square tile, also known as a quarry tile; in uncountable use, the same tiles taken collectively.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3, 6** — From Middle English querele ('dispute, argument, complaint, lament'), borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French querele, querelle, and ultimately from Latin querēla, querella ('dispute, complaint, grievance, lament'). The Latin word was formed from querī ('to complain, to lament') plus a noun-forming suffix, and querī comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- ('to puff; to sigh').
**Meanings 2, 4, 7** — From Middle English querelen ('to dispute, quarrel; to assert one's claims; to rebel'), which was formed from the noun querele (see etymology 1). Compare Anglo-Norman, Middle French, and Old French quereler, quereller ('to argue with, dispute; to criticize; to bring a legal suit'), and modern French quereller ('to quarrel, squabble').
**Meanings 5, 8–9** — From Middle English quarrel ('crossbow bolt'), from Anglo-Norman, Middle French, and Old French quarel, quarrel ('crossbow bolt; square or rectangular floor tile; small window pane'), from Late Latin quarellus, quadrellus ('crossbow bolt; paving stone; tile'). This came from Latin quadrum ('a square') plus a diminutive suffix, and quadrum ultimately derives from quattuor ('four'), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ('four'). It is a doublet of carreau.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/quarrel (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).