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Bicker vs Bickering - What's the difference?

bicker | bickering |

As verbs the difference between bicker and bickering

is that bicker is to quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner while bickering is present participle of lang=en.

As nouns the difference between bicker and bickering

is that bicker is a skirmish; an encounter while bickering is petty quarreling. Usually considered a childish behaviour, although often applied to adults.

bicker

English

Etymology 1

(etyl) bikeren ‘to attack’, from (etyl) bicken ‘to stab, attack’ (modern bikken ‘to hack’), from (etyl) ‘to smash, break’.

Verb

(en verb)
  • To quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.
    • They bickered about dinner every evening.
  • * Barrow
    • petty things about which men cark and bicker
  • To move tremulously, quiver, shimmer (of a water stream, of a flame)
  • *XIX cent,
    • I come from haunts of coot and hern, / I make a sudden sally, / And sparkle out among the fern, / To bicker down a valley.
  • * Thomson
    • They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
  • To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.
  • * Holland
    • Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
    Derived terms
    *bickerer
    Synonyms
    * wrangle * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A skirmish; an encounter.
  • (Scotland, obsolete) A fight with stones between two parties of boys.
    • (Jamieson)
  • A wrangle; also, a noise, as in angry contention.

    • Etymology 2

    See beaker.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub.
    • (Webster 1913)

    External links

    * *

    bickering

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Petty quarreling. Usually considered a childish behaviour, although often applied to adults.
  • * 1820 , in Memoirs of John Duke of Marlborough , By William Coxe, Ch.40 heading.
    • Meeting of Parliament. — Choice of a whig Speaker. — Speech from the throne. — Parliamentary proceedings, and party bickerings .
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 15 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Liverpool 1 - 1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=After Evra was also shown a yellow card following a prolonged bout of bickering which also involved Suarez, Ferguson decided on a double change by replacing Park Ji-sung and Ashley Young with Nani and Rooney.}}

    Verb

    (head)