quibble
/ˈkwɪbəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "He harped on his quibble about how the dark red paint should be described as carmine rather than burgundy."
- "Quibbles […]have no place in the search after truth."
- "As the two railways were to meet end-on, providing a continuous line from Parkside to Lancaster, it would have been expected that they would work together harmoniously for their common interests, but the quibble over the connection strained the relationship from the beginning."
- "Toward the end of “Galatea,” there are a few missteps: […] All in all, though, these are minor quibbles."
- "Essentially, we want a commitment to no-quibble refunds, without admin fees, if people who have already paid decide not to travel because of the virus."
- "Is it a quibble, or play upon words?"
Etymology
Origin uncertain. Possibly from quib (“quibble”, noun) + -le (diminutive ending). Quib is probably from Latin quibus (“in what respect? how?”), which appeared frequently in legal documents and came to be suggestive of the verbosity and petty argumentation found therein; or perhaps an alteration of quip. Alternatively, perhaps related to dialectal Dutch kwebbelen (“to speak quickly and continuously, chatter”). Compare also Scots wheebele (“a quibble”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: quibus