contentious

The word 'contentious' originates from the Latin verb contendere, meaning 'to stretch, strain, strive, or fight'. This verb itself is a compound of con- (an intensive prefix meaning 'together' or 'with') and tendere (meaning 'to stretch'). The literal sense of stretching or straining together evolved metaphorically into the concept of vigorous competition or dispute. The Latin present participle stem content- was combined with the adjectival suffix -iosus to form contentiosus, meaning 'quarrelsome' or 'disputatious'. Entering English via Anglo-Norman and Middle French in the late 16th century, the word retained this core sense, describing both things that cause strife and people inclined to argue.

Structure: content (strive) + ious (adjective suffix) - content: From Latin content-, the stem of contendere meaning 'to strive, struggle, contend'. - ious: A suffix forming adjectives, from Latin -iosus, indicating 'full of' or 'characterized by'.