different between quarrel vs kerfuffle

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kw??(?)l/
• (US) enPR: 'kwôr?l, 'kw?r?l, IPA^(key): /?kw???l/, /?kw?-/
• Rhymes: -???l
• Hyphenation: quar?rel

Etymology 1

From Middle English querele (“altercation, dispute; argument, debate; armed combat; trial by combat; basis for dispute, complaint; claim, legal suit; a lament; illness”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman querele [and other forms] and Middle French querele, querelle (“altercation, dispute; basis for dispute; side in a dispute; complaint; accusation; legal suit; lament; problem”) (modern French querelle), and from their etymon Latin quer?la, querella (“dispute; argument; complaint, grievance; legal complaint; lament; illness”), from quer? + -?la, -ella (suffix forming nouns). Quer? is the present active infinitive of queror (“to complain; to bewail, lament; to be indignant”), from Proto-Indo-European *?wes- (“to puff; to sigh”).

The word had replaced Old English sacan (“basis for dispute”) by 1340.

Noun

quarrel (plural quarrels)

1. A dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dispute
2. Often preceded by a form of to have: a basis or ground of dispute or objection; a complaint; also, a feeling or situation of ill will and unhappiness caused by this.
3. (rare) A propensity to quarrel; quarrelsomeness.

Alternative forms

• quarrell (obsolete)

Related terms

• querent

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English querelen (“to dispute, quarrel; to assert one's claims; to rebel”) [and other forms], from querele (noun); see etymology 1. Compare Anglo-Norman, Middle French, and Old French quereler, quereller (“to argue with, dispute; to criticize; to bring a legal suit”) (modern French quereller (“to quarrel, squabble”)).

Verb

quarrel (third-person singular simple present quarrels, present participle (UK) quarrelling or (US) quarreling, simple past and past participle (UK) quarrelled or (US) quarreled)

1. (intransitive, also figuratively) To argue fiercely; to contend; to squabble; to cease to be on friendly terms, to fall out.
2. (intransitive) To find fault; to cavil.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) Followed by at: to disagree with; to take offence.
4. (transitive, obsolete except Scotland) To argue or squabble with (someone).

Conjugation

Alternative forms

• quarrell (obsolete)

Derived terms

• quarreler, quarreller
• quarrelsome

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English quarrel (“bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; (figurative) seductive glance, temptation to sin; needle (possibly one square in cross-section); small (perhaps square-shaped) opening in window tracery; a cushion (perhaps square-shaped)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman quarel, quarele, quarrel, Middle French quarrel, and Old French quarel, quarrel, carrel (“crossbow bolt; floor tile or paving stone (rectangular- or square-shaped); small glass pane for windows”) (modern French carreau (“crossbow bolt; a tile; windowpane; a square”)), from Late Latin quarellus, quadrellus (“crossbow bolt; paving stone; a tile”), from Latin quadrum (“a square; square section; regular shape or form”) + -ellus (variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutive nouns, indicating small size or youth)). Quadrum is ultimately derived from quattuor (“four”), from Proto-Indo-European *k?etwóres (“four”).

Noun

quarrel (countable and uncountable, plural quarrels)

1. (countable, archery, historical) An arrow or bolt for a crossbow or an arbalest (“a late, large type of crossbow”), traditionally with the head square in its cross section.

   Synonyms: (obsolete) carrel, quarry
2. (countable, architecture) A diamond- or square-shaped piece of glass forming part of a lattice window.

   Synonym: quarry

3. (countable, Northern England, architecture) A square tile; a quarry tile; (uncountable) such tiles collectively.

   Synonym: (archaic) quarry

4. (countable, obsolete, rare) A cutting tool or chisel with a diamond- or square-shaped end.
5. (countable, architecture, obsolete) A small square-shaped opening in window tracery.

Related terms

• quarl
• quarry

Translations

References

Further reading

• quarrel (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• crossbow bolt on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Alternative forms

• cufuffle, cuffuffle, curfuffle, gefuffle, kafuffle, kerfluff, kerfluffle, kurfuffle
• fuffle (by apheresis)

Etymology

Probably from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to ker- +? fuffle, or related to Irish cior thual (“char athwart: confusion, disorder”). Similar to modern Welsh cythrwfl (“uproar, trouble, agitation”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??f?f?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /k??f?f?l/
• Rhymes: -?f?l

Noun

kerfuffle (plural kerfuffles)

1. (chiefly Britain, informal) A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: brouhaha, donnybrook, fracas, hubbub, hullabaloo, mess, racket

   • 2009 May 22, Stuart Heritage, “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”, Hecklerspray

     You know all this kerfuffle about Jordan and Peter Andre, and how you don’t know if they’re really splitting up or it’s just an act […]

   • 2011 June 6, Mark Memmott, “Sarah Palin's Had Her Say; Now Let's Hear From Paul Revere”, The Two-Way, National Public Radio

     There's been a bit of a kerfuffle the past couple days over something Sarah Palin said about Paul Revere.

Derived terms

• kerfluff
• kerfuffly

Translations

Verb

kerfuffle (third-person singular simple present kerfuffles, present participle kerfuffling, simple past and past participle kerfuffled)

1. (chiefly Britain, informal) To make a disorderly outburst or commotion.