Legal Definitions - quarrel

In modern legal usage, a "quarrel" typically refers to an altercation, an angry dispute, or an exchange of accusations between two persons. Historically, and especially in older legal documents, it also broadly signified a complaint, a legal action, or even the underlying causes for a lawsuit.

The term "quarrel" has both a common modern meaning and an older, more specific legal meaning.

• Modern Meaning: A "quarrel" typically refers to an angry dispute or altercation, often involving a heated exchange of accusations, criticisms, or threats between two or more individuals. It describes a verbal confrontation rather than a physical one.
• Archaic Legal Meaning: Historically, in legal contexts, "quarrel" had a broader scope. It referred to a complaint, a cause for a legal action, or even a legal action itself. This usage is largely obsolete in modern legal practice but might be encountered in older legal documents or historical texts. In this sense, a release of "all quarrels" would have meant a release of all potential or existing legal claims.

Examples:

• Example 1 (Modern Meaning): Two neighbors became embroiled in a quarrel over the placement of a new fence, exchanging heated words and accusations about property boundaries and inconsiderate behavior.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates the modern definition of a "quarrel" as an angry dispute involving a verbal exchange of accusations and criticisms between individuals.

• Example 2 (Archaic Legal Meaning): When interpreting a centuries-old will, a legal historian noted a clause stating that the beneficiaries would "release all quarrels, controversies, and demands" against the estate upon receiving their inheritance.

  Explanation: Here, "quarrels" is used in its archaic legal sense, encompassing any potential or existing legal complaints, claims, or causes of action that the beneficiaries might have had against the estate. The clause aimed to prevent future lawsuits by settling all such matters.