quarrel
n.an angry argument or disagreement between people who usually get along. It is often about something small or personal.
n.an angry dispute or altercation, typically between people on familiar terms. Often implies a verbal disagreement over personal matters rather than a formal or professional conflict.
“The two brothers had a loud quarrel over the car keys.”
“After a long and bitter quarrel about their shared finances, the couple decided to seek professional advice.”
“What began as a minor quarrel over a forgotten appointment soon escalated into a fundamental reassessment of their long-term compatibility.”
Often takes the prepositions 'with' (the person) and 'about' or 'over' (the subject).
quarrel vs argument — An argument can be a logical case or a disagreement, while a quarrel is always a heated, emotional conflict.
When discussing the cause of the argument, 'over' or 'about' is used rather than 'for'.
“The room at the top will make the perfect studio for Adam, whose career has stalled after drink, drugs and quarrels.”
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 querēla, querella (“dispute; argument; complaint, grievance; legal complaint; lament; illness”), from querī + -ēla, -ella (suffix forming nouns). querī (“to complain; to bewail, lament; to be indignant”) comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to puff; to sigh”).
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”)).
PIE word *kʷetwóres 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 *kʷetwóres (“four”). Doublet of carreau.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.