Word of the Day: QUIBBLE

Squabble or spar

quibble (noun) - a trivial objection or equivocation; the use of petty or ambiguous arguments to avoid a point at issue [kwib-uhl]

• quibble as a verb means to nitpick, prevaricate, or make trivial objections

BREAKDOWN: The word quibble derives from an older, mostly obsolete term quib, which means a minor objection, trivial argument, or witty insult. Both words derive from the Latin quibus meaning by which or in what respect.

“They were evidently small men, all wind and quibbles, flinging out their chuffy grain to us with far less interest than a farm-wife feels as she scatters corn to her fowls.” —D. H. Lawrence

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]