squabble

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈskwɒbəl/ (UK); /ˈskwɑːbəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably of Scandinavian origin^[2][3][4][5] and imitative,^[6][3] related to dialect Swedish skvabbel “a quarrel”^[6][3][4][5] and dialect German schwabbeln “to babble”.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A petty quarrel or dispute (1602).^[7][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb followed in 1604.^[7][6][4] In printing, squabble meant to disarrange composed type (1674).^[7][5]

Timeline

• 1602 – noun, a petty quarrel.^[7][6][4]
• 1604 – verb, to wrangle.^[7][6][4]
• 1674 – printing, to disarrange type.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A noisy quarrel over something unimportant.

Verb

1. To quarrel noisily over petty matters; to bicker or wrangle.
2. (printing) To disarrange set type.

Word family

• squabbler

Usage notes

Random House gives quarrel, wrangle, bicker and fight as synonyms.^[5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press