quarrel: English has two words quarrel, one of them now little more than a historical memory. Quarrel ‘argument’ [14] goes back via Old French querele to Latin querēla, a derivative of querī ‘complain’. Also based on querī was querulus ‘complaining’, from which English gets querulous [15]. Quarrel ‘crossbow arrow’ [13] comes via Old French quarel from Vulgar Latin *quadrellus, a diminutive form of late Latin quadrus ‘square’ (the quarrel had a ‘square’ head). And quadrus was based on the stem quadr- ‘four’, source of English quadrangle, quadrant, quadruped, etc. => querulous; quarter
quarrel (n.1)
"angry dispute," mid-14c., originally "ground for complaint," from Old French querele "matter, concern, business; dispute, controversy" (Modern French querelle), from Latin querella "complaint, accusation; lamentation," from queri "to complain, lament." Replaced Old English sacan. Sense of "contention between persons" is from 1570s.
quarrel (n.2)
"square-headed bolt for a crossbow," mid-13c., from Old French quarel, carrel "bolt, arrow," from Vulgar Latin *quadrellus, diminutive of Late Latin quadrus (adj.) "square," related to quattuor "four" (see four). Now-archaic sense of "square or diamond-shaped plane of glass" first recorded mid-15c.
quarrel (v.)
late 14c., "to raise an objection;" 1520s as "to contend violently, to fall out," from quarrel (n.1) and in part from Old French quereler (Modern French quereller). Related: Quarrelled; quarrelling.
实用例句
1. They could quarrel quite legitimately with some of my choices.
他们大有理由不同意我的一些选择。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The monarchists are a small fringe group who quarrel fiercely among themselves.
君主主义者是一个内部争吵激烈的非主流的小团体。
来自柯林斯例句
3. It could have happened during a quarrel between them over Naomi.
这件事可能是在他们为娜奥米争吵的过程中发生的。
来自柯林斯例句
4. The quarrel between the Serbs and the Croats is old and bitter.
塞尔维亚人和克罗地亚人之间的争斗由来已久，而且非常激烈。
来自柯林斯例句
5. It would clearly be fatal for Europe to quarrel seriously with America.
