Where does “wrangling” come from?

Wrangling derives from Middle English wranglen with the Old English suffix -ing, itself from Proto-Germanic -ungō, a nominalizing suffix forming abstract nouns and gerunds.

wrangling (English): contention; gainstriving; dispute; disputation;...

Definitions

  1. contention; gainstriving; dispute; disputation;...

Ancestry of “wrangling”, step by step

wrangling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English wrangle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwrangleTo bicker, or quarrel angrily and noisily; To...
2Middle Englishwranglen

via Middle English wranglyng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwranglyng

Words derived from “wrangling

Every word from Middle English wranglenEvery word from English wrangle