quarrel.
A dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).
Meaning & usage
A dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).
We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.
Often preceded by a form of to have: a basis or ground of dispute or objection; a complaint; also, a feeling or situation of ill will and unhappiness caused by this.
A few customers in the shop had some quarrels with us, so we called for the manager.
I have no quarrel with her; it’s her partner whom I dislike.
A propensity to quarrel; quarrelsomeness.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English querele (“altercation, dispute; argument, debate; armed combat; trial by combat; basis for dispute, complaint; claim, legal suit; a lament; illness”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman querele [and other forms] and Middle French querele, querelle (“altercation, dispute; basis for dispute; side in a dispute; complaint; accusation; legal suit; lament; problem”) (modern French querelle), and from their etymon Latin querēla, querella (“dispute; argument; complaint, grievance; legal complaint; lament; illness”), from querī + -ēla, -ella (suffix forming nouns). querī (“to complain; to bewail, lament; to be indignant”) comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to puff; to sigh”).
To argue fiercely; to contend; to squabble; to cease to be on friendly terms, to fall out.
To find fault; to cavil.
to quarrel with one’s lot
Followed by at: to disagree with; to take offence.
To argue or squabble with (someone).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English querelen (“to dispute, quarrel; to assert one's claims; to rebel”) [and other forms], from querele (noun); see etymology 1. Compare Anglo-Norman, Middle French, and Old French quereler, quereller (“to argue with, dispute; to criticize; to bring a legal suit”) (modern French quereller (“to quarrel, squabble”)).
An arrow or bolt for a crossbow or an arbalest (“a late, large type of crossbow”), traditionally with the head square in its cross section.
A diamond- or square-shaped piece of glass forming part of a lattice window.
A square tile; a quarry tile; (uncountable) such tiles collectively.
A cutting tool or chisel with a diamond- or square-shaped end.
A small square-shaped opening in window tracery.
Where this word comes from
PIE word *kʷetwóres From Middle English quarrel (“bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; (figurative) seductive glance, temptation to sin; needle (possibly one square in cross-section); small (perhaps square-shaped) opening in window tracery; a cushion (perhaps square-shaped)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman quarel, quarele, quarrel, Middle French quarrel, and Old French quarel, quarrel, carrel (“crossbow bolt; floor tile or paving stone (rectangular- or square-shaped); small glass pane for windows”) (modern French carreau (“crossbow bolt; a tile; windowpane; a square”)), from Late Latin quarellus, quadrellus (“crossbow bolt; paving stone; a tile”), from Latin quadrum (“a square; square section; regular shape or form”) + -ellus (variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutive nouns, indicating small size or youth)). Quadrum is ultimately derived from quattuor (“four”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”). Doublet of carreau.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.