| Front | querulous \KWER-uh-luhs, KWER-yuh-\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective 1. Given to complaining; peevish. 2. Expressing a complaint or grievance; grumbling. [English speakers have tagged fearful whiners "querulous" since late medieval times. The Middle English form of the word, "querelose," was an adaptation of the Latin adjective, "querulus," which in turn evolved from the Latin verb "queri," meaning "to complain." "Queri" is also an ancestor of the English words "quarrel" and "quarrelsome," but it isn't an ancestor of the noun "query" (meaning "question"). No need to complain that we're being coy; we're happy to let you know that "query" descends from the Latin verb "quaerere," meaning "to ask."] "`Take a look at the speeches and letters of the Founding Fathers,' he (Newt Gingrich) says. `Compare them with the querulous whining and petty grievances of so many modern columnists and academics.' But why not compare those statesmen with today's politicians?" - Robert Pear, What would Founding Fathers say about today's political process?, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3 Mar 1996. |
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