Contentious
/kənˈtɛn.ʃəs/noun
Likely to cause or involve arguments; quarrelsome.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *contentiosus*, built from *contendere* meaning “to stretch or strive together,” a root that also fed words for intense effort and competition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch”
Latin
Latin
tendere
“to stretch, extend, strain”
Latin
Latin
contendere
“to stretch together; to strive, contend, dispute”
Late Latin
Latin
contentiōsus
“quarrelsome, contentious”
Middle English
English
contentious
“quarrelsome, combative; argumentative”
Modern English
English
contentious
“likely to cause disagreement or argument”