Where does “quarrel” come from?
quarrel (Middle English) comes from Old French quarel, from Vulgar Latin quadrellus, from Latin quādrus, from Latin quattŭor, from Portuguese quarto, from Old Portuguese quarto, from Latin quārtus, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeturtos — and.
quarrel (Middle English): bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; ...
Definitions
- bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; ...
Ancestry of “quarrel”, step by step
quarrel traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French quarel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | quarel | square block of stone; square-headed bolt for a... |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | quadrellus | — |
| 3 | Latin | quādrus | square |
| 4 | Latin | quattŭor | four; 4 |
| 5 | Portuguese | quarto | ordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;... |
| 6 | Old Portuguese | quarto | quarter |
| 7 | Latin | quārtus | fourth |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeturtos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |
via Middle French quarrel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | quarrel | — |
via Anglo-Norman quarel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | quarel | square block of stone; square-headed bolt for a... |