quarrel

B2 Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˈkwɔɹəl/ UK /ˈkwɒɹ(ə)l/ See IPA manual

Freq #7231

Meanings

1

noun
An angry argument or disagreement.

We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.
2

verb
To argue angrily with someone.

The brothers quarrelled over who should pay the bill.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an angry argument or... row argument altercation

2 verb · to argue angrily with someone. argue squabble

Word family

Forms quarreledquarrelingquarrelledquarrellingquarrels

Derived forms pick-quarrelquarrelerquarrellerquarrelousquarrelsomeunquarrelledunquarrelling

Related forms quarlquarry querent

Common collocations

quarrel with Verb + preposition/particle

Etymology

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…

*kʷet- Proto-Indo-European quarrel Middle English quarel Old French quarellus la-lat quadrum Latin *kʷetwóres Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

External links

# quarrel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkwɔɹəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkwɒɹ(ə)l/
**Frequency rank:** 7231

## Meanings
1. An angry argument or disagreement.
2. To argue angrily with someone.

## Examples
- We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.
- The brothers quarrelled over who should pay the bill.

## Derived Forms
- pick-quarrel
- quarreler
- quarreller
- quarrelous
- quarrelsome
- unquarrelled
- unquarrelling

## Related Forms
- quarl
- quarry
- querent

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kʷet-
- Root: quarrel
- Root: quarel
- Root: quarellus
- Root: quadrum
- Root: *kʷetwóres

## Etymology
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…

## AI Etymology
Quarrel comes 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. The historical chain includes *kʷet- (Proto-Indo-European), quarrel (Middle English), quarel (xno), quarrel (Middle French), quarel (Old French), quarellus (la-lat). In present-day English it covers an angry argument or disagreement and to argue angrily with someone. The wider family includes derived forms such as pick-quarrel, quarreler, quarreller, quarrelous, quarrelsome and related forms such as quarl, quarry, querent.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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quarrel

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