Quarrel vs Bicker - What's the difference?
quarrel | bicker |
A verbal dispute or heated argument.
* Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.
A ground of dispute or objection; a complaint.
* Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him. - Bible, Mark vi. 19
* You mistake, sir. I am sure no man hath any quarrel to me.'' - Shakespeare, ''Twelfth Night , Act 3, scene 4
(obsolete) earnest desire or longing.
To disagree.
To contend, argue strongly, squabble.
* Sir W. Temple
To find fault; to cavil.
* Roscommon
(obsolete) To argue or squabble with.
* Ben Jonson
A diamond-shaped piece of coloured glass forming part of a stained glass window.
A square tile; quarry tile.
A square-headed arrow for a crossbow.
*1600 , (Edward Fairfax), The (Jerusalem Delivered) of (w), Book VII, ciii:
*:Twanged the string, out flew the quarrel long, / And through the subtle air did singing pass.
*Sir (John Mandeville) (c.1350)
*:to shoot with arrows and quarrel
*Sir (Walter Scott) (1771-1832)
*:two arblasts,with windlaces and quarrels
*1829 , (Edward Augustus Kendall),
*:The small cross-bow, called the arbalet or arbalest, is said to have been invented by the Sicilians. It was carried by the foot-soldiers, and when used was charged with a quarrel or bar-bolt, that is, a small arrow with a flat head, one of which occasioned the death of Harold at the battle of Hastings,.
*2000 . , p.379
*:Satin scooped up his crossbow and sent a few quarrel s after them as they ran, to see them off the faster.
A small opening in window tracery, of which the cusps etc. make the form nearly square.
A four-sided cutting tool or chisel with a diamond-shaped end.
To quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.
* Barrow
To move tremulously, quiver, shimmer (of a water stream, of a flame)
*XIX cent,
* Thomson
To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.
* Holland
A skirmish; an encounter.
(Scotland, obsolete) A fight with stones between two parties of boys.
A wrangle; also, a noise, as in angry contention.
As nouns the difference between quarrel and bicker
is that quarrel is a verbal dispute or heated argument while bicker is a skirmish; an encounter.As verbs the difference between quarrel and bicker
is that quarrel is to disagree while bicker is to quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.quarrel
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) querele (modern French querelle), itself from (etyl) . Replaced (etyl) sacan by 1340 as “ground for complaint”.Noun
(en noun)- We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.
- A few customers in the shop had some quarrel s with us, so we called for the manager.
- (Holland)
Synonyms
* See alsoVerb
(intransitive)- Beasts called sociable quarrel in hunger and lust.
- to quarrel with one's lot
- I will not quarrel with a slight mistake.
- I had quarrelled my brother purposely.
Derived terms
* quarreler, quarreller * quarrelsomeEtymology 2
From (etyl) as "square-headed bolt for a crossbow" c.1225, from (etyl) quarel (modern French carreau), from , related to quattuor "four".Noun
(en noun)The Olio or Museum of Entertainment, Vol.III, p.174
See also
* (wikipedia) * quarlbicker
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)- They bickered about dinner every evening.
- petty things about which men cark and bicker
- I come from haunts of coot and hern, / I make a sudden sally, / And sparkle out among the fern, / To bicker down a valley.
- They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
- Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
Derived terms
*bickererSynonyms
* wrangle * See alsoNoun
(en noun)- (Jamieson)