quarrel
UK[ˈkwɒrəl]US[ˈkwɔːrəl]
n
An angry argument or disagreement between people, often about a personal matter.
v
To have an angry argument or disagreement.
Etymology
The journey of 'quarrel' begins with the Latin verb querī, which carried the core sense of expressing grief or complaint. This evolved into the noun querēla, denoting a formal complaint or lament. Borrowed into Old French as querele, its meaning shifted towards a more specific sense of a dispute or legal complaint. Upon entering Middle English, the word retained this sense of a verbal dispute but gradually lost its formal, legal connotations, narrowing to its modern meaning of a personal, often heated, argument. The semantic thread connects the act of lamenting or voicing a grievance to the modern act of arguing.
Analysis
The word is a simplex form. It entered English from the Old French querele, meaning "complaint, dispute." This Old French term derives from the Latin querēla or querella, meaning "complaint, lamentation," which itself comes from the verb querī, "to complain, lament."
Examples
The two friends had a bitter quarrel over money.
It's pointless to quarrel about such trivial details.
Their political quarrel divided the entire community.