I. ˈkwȯr(ə)l, -wär- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French carrel, quarrel square-headed arrow for an arbalest, building stone, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin quadrellum, from Latin quadrum square + -ellum -el; akin to Latin quattuor four — more at four
1. : a square-headed bolt or arrow ; especially : one for a crossbow or arbalest
2.
[Middle English, square of glass, from Middle French, square of glass, building stone, from Old French carrel, quarrel building stone]
: a small quadrangular building member: as
a. : a square of glass especially when set diagonally
b. : a small opening in window tracery of which the general form is nearly square
c. : a square or lozenge-shaped paving tile
3. : a glazier's diamond
4. : a stonecutter's chisel
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English querele, from Middle French, complaint, from Latin querela from queri to complain — more at wheeze
1.
a. : a ground of complaint : an occasion for dislike or hostility : a cause of dispute or contest
it is the apparent absence of this faith which is part of my quarrel with those critics — J.D.Adams
b. : a conflict between antagonists : a moral or physical contest : dispute , strife
so it would be prudent for both of us to agree now upon some compromise with each other, and not to push our postwar quarrel to extremes — A.J.Toynbee
2. : a cause or side in a dispute
a just quarrel
3. obsolete
a. : an occasion to act
b. : aversion , dislike
c. : quarrelsomeness
Synonyms:
wrangle , altercation , squabble , bickering , spat , tiff : quarrel usually indicates a verbal contention with anger, hurt feeling, vexation, and recrimination
she hated any kind of quarrel … she shuddered at raised voices and quailed before looks of hate — Jean Stafford
wrangle may indicate noisy, insistent, discordant, futile disputation
spent three hours in an inconclusive wrangle over what was to be included in the communiqué to the press — J.P.Lash
pleaded against any changes that might produce a partisan wrangle — New York Times
altercation usually indicates a determined verbal contention or dispute
a rapid altercation, in which they fastened upon each other various strange epithets — Stephen Crane
the fights and violent altercations which grew out of impassioned discussion of the day's doings — Herbert Asbury
squabble may indicate a silly, puerile, wrangle over something petty
squabbles with his fellow faddists — L.P.Smith
bickering implies continuing irritable petulant verbal sparring
the bickering and squabbles of the state parties — Gerald Priestland
whose bickerings with her husband become tiresome — Leslie Rees
spat may suggest a short lively dispute, perhaps over something trivial and perhaps ending quickly
had short spats with Hughie when he came in unnecessarily drunk — Ruth Park
tiff refers to a trivial ill-humored dispute, often without consequence
was just a passing tiff and that matters would speedily adjust themselves — P.G.Wodehouse
III. verb
( quarreled or quarrelled ; quarreled or quarrelled ; quarreling or quarrelling ; quarrels )
Etymology: Middle English querelen, from querele, n.
intransitive verb
1. : to find fault : cavil , complain
I have no compulsion to quarrel with a society that has permitted me to work for what I believe — M.W.Straight
2. : to contend or dispute actively : clash , strive , struggle
quarreled with his new stepmother — Carl Bridenbaugh
quarreled frequently with his superiors — London Calling
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to dispute or question the rightness or validity of : challenge
2. Scotland : to find fault with : rebuke
3. obsolete : to force by quarreling
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English quarelle, alteration of quarere, quarrere — more at quarry (excavation)
dialect chiefly England : a stone quarry