Quibble means to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words or to find fault by raising trivial objections. The term may be traced back to the Latin plural of 'qui' (who).
Quibble significa evadir el punto de una discusión alegando sobre palabras o encontrar fallas levantando objeciones triviales. El término puede rastrearse hasta el plural latino de 'qui' (quien).
| Word | quibble |
|---|---|
| Date | June 8, 2019 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | KWIB-ul |
| Etymology | In addition to functioning as a verb, quibble also exists as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of the word arrived in English in the mid-17th century. Presumably (though not certainly) quibble originated as a diminutive of a now obsolete word, quib, which also meant "quibble." In fact, although language experts may quibble over this, there is a possibility that quib can be traced back to the plural of the Latin word qui, meaning "who," which was often used in legal documents. If so, that makes quibble a very distant cousin of the English word who. |
| Examples | "A few researchers and doctors have also quibbled with some of the details in the dietary advice…." — Eliza Barclay, Vox.com, 24 Jan. 2019 "I am not quibbling with the quality of these extravagant boats, but it seems some anglers believe a high-ticket item will make them better fishermen." — Mike Jackson, The Daily Herald (Chicago), 5 May 2019 |
| Definition | 1 : to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words 2 a : to find fault by raising trivial or frivolous objection b : to engage in a petty quarrel : bicker 3 : to subject to minor objections or criticisms |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
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