See quibble on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"title": "uncertain"
},
"expansion": "uncertain",
"name": "unc"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "quib",
"3": "-le",
"id2": "diminutive",
"pos1": "noun",
"pos2": "diminutive ending",
"t1": "quibble"
},
"expansion": "quib (“quibble”, noun) + -le (diminutive ending)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "quibus",
"4": "",
"5": "in what respect? how?"
},
"expansion": "Latin quibus (“in what respect? how?”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "kwebbelen",
"t": "to speak quickly and continuously, chatter"
},
"expansion": "Dutch kwebbelen (“to speak quickly and continuously, chatter”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sco",
"2": "wheebele",
"t": "a quibble"
},
"expansion": "Scots wheebele (“a quibble”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "quibbles",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "quibble (plural quibbles)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "50 17 19 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "47 22 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -le (diminutive)",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "46 18 18 17",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "44 24 15 17",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "60 14 13 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 11 21 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "46 22 20 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Czech translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 16 16 15",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "59 12 18 11",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 11 21 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 15 16 15",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "51 10 27 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Georgian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "59 14 14 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "47 15 22 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 13 13 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 13 13 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Latin translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "59 10 19 11",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 13 13 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "55 12 21 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "64 12 13 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He harped on his quibble about how the dark red paint should be described as carmine rather than burgundy.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:",
"text": "Quibbles […]have no place in the search after truth.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1995 June 27, Michiko Kakutani, “Playing Pygmalion to a Hermeneutic Computer”, in New York Times:",
"text": "Toward the end of “Galatea,” there are a few missteps: […] All in all, though, these are minor quibbles.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020 March 25, “Network News: Passengers offered refunds or switched fares”, in Rail, page 7:",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An argument or objection based on an ambiguity of wording or similar trivial circumstance; a minor complaint."
],
"id": "en-quibble-en-noun-X7zhSCiT",
"links": [
[
"argument",
"argument#Noun"
],
[
"objection",
"objection#Noun"
],
[
"based",
"base#Verb"
],
[
"ambiguity",
"ambiguity"
],
[
"wording",
"wording#Noun"
],
[
"similar",
"similar#Adjective"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial#Adjective"
],
[
"circumstance",
"circumstance#Noun"
],
[
"minor",
"minor#Adjective"
],
[
"complaint",
"complaint"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dispute"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zajaždane",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "заяждане"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "slovíčkaření"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hašteření"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "haarkloverij"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "marina"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "narina"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "kitinä"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"english": "complaint",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "mutina"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "suukopu"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fi",
"english": "argument",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "kränä"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "argutie"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "umnišvnelo šenišvna",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "უმნიშვნელო შენიშვნა"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "šenišvna",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "შენიშვნა"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "kleinliche Kritik"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Spitzfindigkeit"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Haarspalterei"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "szőrszálhasogatás"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "cavillo"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "minúcia"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pridírka",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "приди́рка"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "cepidlačenje"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "argucia"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Robert Kemp Philp, editor, The Family Friend, page 54:",
"text": "Is it a quibble, or play upon words?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1870, Richard Grant White, The complete works of Shakspere, with a memoir, and essay:",
"text": "This is a quibble between council and counsel. The latter word is still used to imply secrecy; as in the phrase, \"keep your own counsel.\"",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A pun."
],
"id": "en-quibble-en-noun-CMIy2KoM",
"links": [
[
"pun",
"pun#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) A pun."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkwɪbəl/"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-quibble.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg/En-au-quibble.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
}
],
"word": "quibble"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"title": "uncertain"
},
"expansion": "uncertain",
"name": "unc"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "quib",
"3": "-le",
"id2": "diminutive",
"pos1": "noun",
"pos2": "diminutive ending",
"t1": "quibble"
},
"expansion": "quib (“quibble”, noun) + -le (diminutive ending)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "quibus",
"4": "",
"5": "in what respect? how?"
},
"expansion": "Latin quibus (“in what respect? how?”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "kwebbelen",
"t": "to speak quickly and continuously, chatter"
},
"expansion": "Dutch kwebbelen (“to speak quickly and continuously, chatter”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sco",
"2": "wheebele",
"t": "a quibble"
},
"expansion": "Scots wheebele (“a quibble”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "quibbles",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbling",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbled",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbled",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "quibble (third-person singular simple present quibbles, present participle quibbling, simple past and past participle quibbled)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "They are constantly quibbling over insignificant details.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter X, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book (please specify |book=I to VIII):",
"text": "“Oh, if you talk in that sense!” said Mr. Standish, with as much disgust at such non-legal quibbling as a man can well betray towards a valuable client.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1904 May, Winston Churchill, chapter VI, in The Crossing, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, book II (Flotsam and Jetsam), page 314:",
"text": "“I dog no one, Mr. Temple,” I replied bitterly. “We'll not quibble about words,” said he.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 July 24, Ryan Mac, Tiffany Hsu, “From Twitter to X: Elon Musk Begins Erasing an Iconic Internet Brand”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
"text": "Mr. Musk has shown a disdain toward Twitter’s previous corporate culture. He has quibbled with the number of bird references in the company’s internal team names and products.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner."
],
"id": "en-quibble-en-verb-Ya~bA1Ol",
"links": [
[
"complain",
"complain"
],
[
"argue",
"argue"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial"
],
[
"petty",
"petty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, intransitive) To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zajaždam se",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "заяждам се"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "hašteřit"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "muggenziften"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "ĉikani"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "marista"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "narista"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "kitistä"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chicaner"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "ergoter"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chinoiser"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chipoter"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "pinailler"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "dac̣vrilmaneba",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "დაწვრილმანება"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "c̣vrilmanze ḳamati",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "წვრილმანზე კამათი"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "herumstreiten"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "kleinlich sein"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cavillare"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cavillari"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "preocupar-se"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "preocupar-se com minúcias"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "discutir"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pridirátʹsja",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "придира́ться"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cepidlačiti"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "buscar evasivas"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "sutilizar"
},
{
"_dis1": "87 13",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "andar con sutilezas"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The customer quibbled the bill.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To contest, especially some trivial issue in a petty manner."
],
"id": "en-quibble-en-verb-CUuKEmjN",
"links": [
[
"contest",
"contest"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial"
],
[
"petty",
"petty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, rare, transitive) To contest, especially some trivial issue in a petty manner."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"rare",
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkwɪbəl/"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-quibble.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg/En-au-quibble.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "squabble"
}
],
"word": "quibble"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms suffixed with -le (diminutive)",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/ɪbəl",
"Rhymes:English/ɪbəl/2 syllables",
"Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Esperanto translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Georgian translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Hungarian translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Latin translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"title": "uncertain"
},
"expansion": "uncertain",
"name": "unc"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "quib",
"3": "-le",
"id2": "diminutive",
"pos1": "noun",
"pos2": "diminutive ending",
"t1": "quibble"
},
"expansion": "quib (“quibble”, noun) + -le (diminutive ending)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "quibus",
"4": "",
"5": "in what respect? how?"
},
"expansion": "Latin quibus (“in what respect? how?”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "kwebbelen",
"t": "to speak quickly and continuously, chatter"
},
"expansion": "Dutch kwebbelen (“to speak quickly and continuously, chatter”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sco",
"2": "wheebele",
"t": "a quibble"
},
"expansion": "Scots wheebele (“a quibble”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "quibbles",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "quibble (plural quibbles)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He harped on his quibble about how the dark red paint should be described as carmine rather than burgundy.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:",
"text": "Quibbles […]have no place in the search after truth.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1995 June 27, Michiko Kakutani, “Playing Pygmalion to a Hermeneutic Computer”, in New York Times:",
"text": "Toward the end of “Galatea,” there are a few missteps: […] All in all, though, these are minor quibbles.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020 March 25, “Network News: Passengers offered refunds or switched fares”, in Rail, page 7:",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An argument or objection based on an ambiguity of wording or similar trivial circumstance; a minor complaint."
],
"links": [
[
"argument",
"argument#Noun"
],
[
"objection",
"objection#Noun"
],
[
"based",
"base#Verb"
],
[
"ambiguity",
"ambiguity"
],
[
"wording",
"wording#Noun"
],
[
"similar",
"similar#Adjective"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial#Adjective"
],
[
"circumstance",
"circumstance#Noun"
],
[
"minor",
"minor#Adjective"
],
[
"complaint",
"complaint"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dispute"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Robert Kemp Philp, editor, The Family Friend, page 54:",
"text": "Is it a quibble, or play upon words?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1870, Richard Grant White, The complete works of Shakspere, with a memoir, and essay:",
"text": "This is a quibble between council and counsel. The latter word is still used to imply secrecy; as in the phrase, \"keep your own counsel.\"",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A pun."
],
"links": [
[
"pun",
"pun#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) A pun."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkwɪbəl/"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-quibble.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg/En-au-quibble.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zajaždane",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "заяждане"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "slovíčkaření"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hašteření"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "haarkloverij"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "marina"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "narina"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "kitinä"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"english": "complaint",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "mutina"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "suukopu"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"english": "argument",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "kränä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "argutie"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "umnišvnelo šenišvna",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "უმნიშვნელო შენიშვნა"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "šenišvna",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "შენიშვნა"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "kleinliche Kritik"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Spitzfindigkeit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Haarspalterei"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "szőrszálhasogatás"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "cavillo"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "minúcia"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pridírka",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "приди́рка"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"word": "cepidlačenje"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "sutileza"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "argucia"
}
],
"word": "quibble"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms suffixed with -le (diminutive)",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/ɪbəl",
"Rhymes:English/ɪbəl/2 syllables",
"Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Esperanto translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Georgian translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Hungarian translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Latin translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"title": "uncertain"
},
"expansion": "uncertain",
"name": "unc"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "quib",
"3": "-le",
"id2": "diminutive",
"pos1": "noun",
"pos2": "diminutive ending",
"t1": "quibble"
},
"expansion": "quib (“quibble”, noun) + -le (diminutive ending)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "quibus",
"4": "",
"5": "in what respect? how?"
},
"expansion": "Latin quibus (“in what respect? how?”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "kwebbelen",
"t": "to speak quickly and continuously, chatter"
},
"expansion": "Dutch kwebbelen (“to speak quickly and continuously, chatter”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sco",
"2": "wheebele",
"t": "a quibble"
},
"expansion": "Scots wheebele (“a quibble”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "quibbles",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbling",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbled",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "quibbled",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "quibble (third-person singular simple present quibbles, present participle quibbling, simple past and past participle quibbled)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English informal terms",
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "They are constantly quibbling over insignificant details.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter X, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book (please specify |book=I to VIII):",
"text": "“Oh, if you talk in that sense!” said Mr. Standish, with as much disgust at such non-legal quibbling as a man can well betray towards a valuable client.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1904 May, Winston Churchill, chapter VI, in The Crossing, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, book II (Flotsam and Jetsam), page 314:",
"text": "“I dog no one, Mr. Temple,” I replied bitterly. “We'll not quibble about words,” said he.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 July 24, Ryan Mac, Tiffany Hsu, “From Twitter to X: Elon Musk Begins Erasing an Iconic Internet Brand”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
"text": "Mr. Musk has shown a disdain toward Twitter’s previous corporate culture. He has quibbled with the number of bird references in the company’s internal team names and products.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner."
],
"links": [
[
"complain",
"complain"
],
[
"argue",
"argue"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial"
],
[
"petty",
"petty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, intransitive) To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English informal terms",
"English terms with rare senses",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The customer quibbled the bill.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To contest, especially some trivial issue in a petty manner."
],
"links": [
[
"contest",
"contest"
],
[
"trivial",
"trivial"
],
[
"petty",
"petty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, rare, transitive) To contest, especially some trivial issue in a petty manner."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"rare",
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkwɪbəl/"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-quibble.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg/En-au-quibble.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-quibble.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "squabble"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zajaždam se",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "заяждам се"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "hašteřit"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "muggenziften"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "ĉikani"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "marista"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "narista"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "kitistä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chicaner"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "ergoter"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chinoiser"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "chipoter"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "pinailler"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "dac̣vrilmaneba",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "დაწვრილმანება"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "c̣vrilmanze ḳamati",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "წვრილმანზე კამათი"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "herumstreiten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "kleinlich sein"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cavillare"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cavillari"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "preocupar-se"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "preocupar-se com minúcias"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "discutir"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pridirátʹsja",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "придира́ться"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "cepidlačiti"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "buscar evasivas"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "sutilizar"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner",
"word": "andar con sutilezas"
}
],
"word": "quibble"
}
Download raw JSONL data for quibble meaning in All languages combined (16.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (65a6e81 and 0dbea76). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.