quarreling
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quar·rel 1
(kwôr′əl, kwŏr′-)n.
1. An interaction in which the parties involved express angry disagreement with one another: I changed the subject to avoid being drawn into a quarrel.
2. A reason for a dispute or argument: We have no quarrel with the findings of the committee.
intr.v. quar·reled, quar·rel·ing, quar·rels or quar·relled or quar·rel·ling
1. To express angry disagreement; engage in a quarrel: The children quarreled over the last piece of cake. See Synonyms at argue.
2. To find fault or disagree: I quarrel with your conclusions.
[Middle English querele, from Old French, complaint, from Latin querella, querēla, from querī, to complain; see kwes- in Indo-European roots.]
quar′rel·er (quar′rel·ler) n.
quar·rel 2
(kwôr′əl, kwŏr′-)n.
1. A bolt for a crossbow.
2. A tool, such as a stonemason's chisel, that has a squared head.
3. A small diamond-shaped or square pane of glass in a latticed window.
[Middle English quarel, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *quadrellus, diminutive of Late Latin quadrus, square, from Latin quadrum; see kwetwer- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.