Adjacent Words

Quarrel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

QUAR'REL, n. [L. queror, to complain, that is, to cry out with a loud voice. Hence we see the primary sense is the same as brawl. The L. queror coincides in elements with to call, to bawl, to shout, and gearan, a complaint. Heb.
1. A brawl; a petty fight or scuffle; from its noise and uproar.
2. A dispute; a contest.
On open seas their quarrels they debate.
3. A breach of friendship or concord; open variance between parties.
4. Cause of dispute.
The king's quarrel is honorable.
5. Something that gives a right to mischief, reprisal or action.
He thought he had a good quarrel to attack him. [Not used.]
6. Objection; ill will, or reason to complain; ground of objection or dispute.
Herodias had a quarrel against him. Mark 6.
7. Something peevish, malicious, or disposed to make trouble. [Not used.]
QUAR'REL, n.
1. An arrow with a square head. [Not used unless in poetry.]
2. A pane of glass; a square. [See Quarry and Square.]
QUAR'REL, v.i.
1. To dispute violently or with loud and angry words; to wrangle; to scold. How odious to see husband and wife quarrel!
2. To fight; to scuffle; to contend; to squabble; used of two persons or of a small number. It is never used of armies and navies in combat. Children and servants often quarrel about trifles. Tavern-haunters sometimes quarrel over their cups.
3. To fall into variance.
Our people quarrel with obedience.
4. To find fault; to cavil.
I will not quarrel with a slight mistake.
Men at enmity with their God, quarreling with his attributes - quarreling with the being that made them, and who is constantly doing them good.
5. To disagree; to be at variance; not to be in accordance in form or essence.
Some things arise of strange and quarr'ling kind, the forepart lion, and a snake behind.
QUAR'REL, v.t.
1. To quarrel with.
2. To compel by a quarrel; as, to quarrel a man out of his estate or rights.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an angry dispute; "they had a quarrel"; "they had words" [syn: quarrel, wrangle, row, words, run-in, dustup]
2: an arrow that is shot from a crossbow; has a head with four edges v
1: have a disagreement over something; "We quarreled over the question as to who discovered America"; "These two fellows are always scrapping over something" [syn: quarrel, dispute, scrap, argufy, altercate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, square block of stone, bolt, from Vulgar Latin *quadrellum, diminutive of Latin quadrum square — more at quadrate Date: 13th century a square-headed bolt or arrow especially for a crossbow II. noun Etymology: Middle English querele, from Anglo-French, from Latin querela grievance, complaint, from queri to complain Date: 14th century 1. a ground of dispute or complaint <have no quarrel with a different approach> 2. a usually verbal conflict between antagonists ; altercation Synonyms: quarrel, wrangle, altercation, squabble mean a noisy dispute usually marked by anger. quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention <a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship>. wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions <wrangle interminably about small issues>. altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows <a loud public altercation>. squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger <a brief squabble over what to do next>. III. intransitive verb (-reled or -relled; -reling or -relling) Date: 14th century 1. to find fault <many people quarrel with the idea — Johns Hopkins Magazine> 2. to contend or dispute actively <quarreled frequently with his superiors — London Calling> • quarreler or quarreller noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a violent contention or altercation between individuals or with others. 2 a rupture of friendly relations. 3 an occasion of complaint against a person, a person's actions, etc. --v.intr. (quarrelled, quarrelling; US quarreled, quarreling) 1 (often foll. by with) take exception; find fault. 2 fall out; have a dispute; break off friendly relations. Derivatives: quarreller n. Etymology: ME f. OF querele f. L querel(l)a complaint f. queri complain 2. n. hist. a short heavy square-headed arrow or bolt used in a crossbow or arbalest. Etymology: ME f. OF quar(r)el ult. f. LL quadrus square

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quarrel Quar"rel, n. [OE. quarel, OF. quarrel, F. carreau, LL. quadrellus, from L. quadrus square. See Quadrate, and cf. Quadrel, Quarry an arrow, Carrel.] 1. An arrow for a crossbow; -- so named because it commonly had a square head. [Obs.] To shoot with arrows and quarrel. --Sir J. Mandeville. Two arblasts, . . . with windlaces and quarrels. --Sir W. Scott. 2. (Arch.) Any small square or quadrangular member; as: (a) A square of glass, esp. when set diagonally. (b) A small opening in window tracery, of which the cusps, etc., make the form nearly square. (c) A square or lozenge-shaped paving tile. 3. A glazier's diamond. --Simmonds. 4. A four-sided cutting tool or chisel having a diamond-shaped end.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quarrel Quar"rel, n. [OE. querele, OF. querele, F. querelle, fr. L. querela, querella, a complaint, fr. queri to complain. See Querulous.] 1. A breach of concord, amity, or obligation; a falling out; a difference; a disagreement; an antagonism in opinion, feeling, or conduct; esp., an angry dispute, contest, or strife; a brawl; an altercation; as, he had a quarrel with his father about expenses. I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant. --Lev. xxvi. 25. On open seas their quarrels they debate. --Dryden. 2. Ground of objection, dislike, difference, or hostility; cause of dispute or contest; occasion of altercation. Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him. --Mark vi. 19. No man hath any quarrel to me. --Shak. He thought he had a good quarrel to attack him. --Holinshed. 3. Earnest desire or longing. [Obs.] --Holland. To pick a quarrel. See under Pick, v. t. Syn: Brawl; broil; squabble; affray; feud; tumult; contest; dispute; altercation; contention; wrangle.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quarrel Quar"rel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quarreledor Quarrelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quarreling or Quarrelling.] 1. To violate concord or agreement; to have a difference; to fall out; to be or become antagonistic. Our people quarrel with obedience. --Shak. But some defect in her Did quarrel with the noblest grace she owed. --Shak. 2. To dispute angrily, or violently; to wrangle; to scold; to altercate; to contend; to fight. Beasts called sociable quarrel in hunger and lust. --Sir W. Temple. 3. To find fault; to cavil; as, to quarrel with one's lot. I will not quarrel with a slight mistake. --Roscommon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quarrel Quar"rel, v. t. 1. To quarrel with. [R.] ``I had quarelled my brother purposely.'' --B. Jonson. 2. To compel by a quarrel; as, to quarrel a man out of his estate or rights.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quarrel Quar"rel, n. [Written also quarreller.] One who quarrels or wrangles; one who is quarrelsome. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(quarrels, quarrelling, quarrelled) Note: in AM, use 'quarreling', 'quarreled' 1. A quarrel is an angry argument between two or more friends or family members. I had a terrible quarrel with my other brothers... N-COUNT 2. Quarrels between countries or groups of people are disagreements, which may be diplomatic or include fighting. (JOURNALISM) ...New Zealand's quarrel with France over the Rainbow Warrior incident... N-COUNT 3. When two or more people quarrel, they have an angry argument. At one point we quarrelled, over something silly... My brother quarrelled with my father. V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n 4. If you say that you have no quarrel with someone or something, you mean that you do not disagree with them. We have no quarrel with the people of Spain or of any other country... N-SING: with neg

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kwor'-el: Originally (1) "a complaint" (compare "querulous"), or (2) "a cause of complaint," and so (3) "a contention."

(1) In the King James Version Mr 6:19 (the Revised Version (British and American) "set herself"; the colloquial "had it in for him" is an exact translation) and Col 3:13 (momphe, "complaint"; so the Revised Version (British and American)).

(2) In 2Ki 5:7 ('anah, "be opportune," the Revised Version margin "an occasion").

(3) In the King James Version Le 26:25 (loose translation of naqam, "vengeance"; so the Revised Version (British and American)).

Compare Sirach 31:29 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "conflict") and Pr 20:3 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version, "meddling").

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Brawl, feud, affray, fray, tumult, contention, altercation, tiff, misunderstanding, wrangle, contest, squabble, broil, jar, breach, rupture, dispute, difference, disagreement, dissension, bickering, quarrelling, strife, breeze, falling out, variance. 2. Dispute, contest, open variance, breach of concord. 3. Objection, ill-will. II. v. n. 1. Wrangle, scold, altercate, squabble, bicker, brawl, dispute, spar, jangle, fall out, have words, have an altercation, be at variance. 2. Scuffle, squabble, fight. 3. Cavil, find fault, carp. 4. Disagree, clash, jar, be discordant.

Moby Thesaurus

Kilkenny cats, action, aerial combat, affray, altercate, altercation, argue, argument, armored combat, arrow, arrowhead, barb, barney, battle, battle royal, beef, bicker, bicker over, bickering, blood feud, bobbery, bobtailed arrow, bolt, box, brannigan, brawl, broil, brush, bullfight, bump, cast out, cat-and-dog life, caterwaul, chested arrow, clash, clash of arms, close, cloth yard shaft, cockfight, collide, combat, come to blows, conflict, contend, contend about, contention, contentiousness, contest, contestation, controversy, cut and thrust, dart, debate, differ, difference, difference of opinion, difficulty, disaccord, disagree, disagreement, discord, disputation, dispute, dissension, dissent, divide, dogfight, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, duel, dust, dustup, embroilment, enmity, exchange blows, exchange of blows, fall out, falling-out, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, fight over, fighting, fire fight, flight, flite, fliting, fracas, fray, free-for-all, fuss, give and take, give satisfaction, grapple, grapple with, ground combat, hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand fight, hassle, have words, have words with, hostility, house-to-house combat, imbroglio, join issue, jostle, joust, knock-down-and-drag-out, litigation, logomachy, melee, miff, misunderstanding, mix it up, naval combat, open quarrel, paper war, passage of arms, pitched battle, polemic, quarrel over, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, rassle, reed, rhubarb, riot, row, ruckus, ruction, rumble, rumpus, run a tilt, run-in, running fight, scramble, scrap, scrapping, scrimmage, scuffle, set to, set-to, shaft, sharp words, shoving match, skirmish, slanging match, snarl, spar, spat, squabble, squabble over, squabbling, squall, stand-up fight, street fight, strife, strive, struggle, take issue with, tauromachy, thrust and parry, thwart, tiff, tilt, to-and-fro, tourney, tug-of-war, tussle, variance, vary, vendetta, volley, wage war, war, war of words, warfare, words, wrangle, wrangle over, wrangling, wrestle