What is the meaning of the word cantankerous?
Definition of cantankerous. : difficult or irritating to deal with a cantankerous mule. Other Words from cantankerous Synonyms & Antonyms The Origin of Cantankerous Is Mysterious More Example Sentences Learn More about cantankerous. Keep scrolling for more.
What is the origin of the word cankerous?
[Perhaps from Middle English contek, dissension (influenced by such words as rancorous cankerous ), from Anglo-Norman contec, possibly from Latin contāctus, past participle of contingere, to touch; see contact .] can·tan′ker·ous·ness n.
What is the difference between rancorous and cankerous?
Rancorous brings the anger and "bitter deep-seated ill will" (as rancor can be understood to mean). And cankerous brings the perhaps understandable foul mood: a cankerous person suffers from painful sores—that is, cankers. Contemporaries often found him aloof, standoffish, and cantankerous and his mannerisms and diction inscrutable.
Is Cankerous a word?
can·ker·ous. adj. 1. Marked by or infected with canker; ulcerous.
What is cantankerous person?
adjective. disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: a cantankerous, argumentative man.
What does canker mean in the Bible?
1 obsolete : to infect with a spreading sore. 2 : to corrupt the spirit of a relationship cankered by jealousy. intransitive verb.
What does cantankerous mean synonym?
Some synonyms are cranky, bad-tempered, irritable, irascible. Definitions of cantankerous. adjective. stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate. synonyms: bloody-minded obstinate, stubborn, unregenerate.
What is the best synonym for cantankerous?
synonyms for cantankerouscranky.dour.grouchy.grumpy.irascible.prickly.quarrelsome.testy.More items...
How do you use cantankerous in a sentence?
They can be downright cantankerous. Jessie's husband passed away and she moved in with her cantankerous father-in-law Gus (Wilford Brimley). Despite what you say, your problems are much more likely to stem from a particularly cantankerous tape recorder than inferior cassettes.
What is a canker in ancient times?
canker (n.) late Old English cancer "spreading ulcer, cancerous tumor," from Latin cancer "malignant tumor," literally "crab" (see cancer, which is its doublet). The form was influenced in Middle English by Old North French cancre "canker, sore, abscess" (Old French chancre, Modern French chancre).
What was canker in Middle Ages?
The ejective form, 'canker', hearkened back to the Latin cancer (both the 'c's being pronounced ejectively), which was a stepping stone between Greek and English terms. 'Cancer' and 'canker' were both used, seemingly indiscriminately, to describe the disease we now recognise as cancer.
Where did the name canker sore come from?
They are appropriately named, too: In Greek, aphthae (root of aphthous) means "to set on fire." Canker sores are not contagious and can't be spread through saliva. Most of us get canker sores from time to time; some of us get them over and over.
Where does cantankerous come from?
It's been speculated that cantankerous is a product of the Middle English contack, meaning “contention,” under the influence of a pair of words: rancorous and cankerous. Rancorous brings the anger and "bitter deep-seated ill will" (as rancor can be understood to mean).
What kind of word is cantankerous?
What type of word is cantankerous? As detailed above, 'cantankerous' is an adjective. Adjective usage: The cantankerous landlord always grumbled when asked to fix something.
What is a pugnacious person?
Definition of pugnacious : having a quarrelsome or combative nature : truculent.
What is a pugnacious person?
Definition of pugnacious : having a quarrelsome or combative nature : truculent.
What kind of word is cantankerous?
What type of word is cantankerous? As detailed above, 'cantankerous' is an adjective. Adjective usage: The cantankerous landlord always grumbled when asked to fix something.
Who is a contentious person?
A contentious issue is one that people are likely to argue about, and a contentious person is someone who likes to argue or fight. Some issues are very controversial. They're also contentious, because people tend to argue about them, and the arguments will probably go on forever.
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Definitions & Translations
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Is it cantankerous when you are old?
It does not suit them and, when one is old, frequently one is very cantankerous.
Do people get cantankerous as they grow older?
A report earlier this week said that people do not get cantankerous as they grow older; they are born that way.
Can you enforce cantankerous husband?
That is very desirable, but it cannot be enforced where you have a cantankerous husband.
The Origin of Cantankerous Is Mysterious
It's irritating, but we're not absolutely sure where cantankerous comes from.
Examples of cantankerous in a Sentence
Contemporaries often found him aloof, standoffish, and cantankerous and his mannerisms and diction inscrutable. — Jonathan Spence, New York Review of Books, 22 Oct. 2009 There are those who contend the hockey maven is a cantankerous old coot—rife with unpopular opinions and quick to assert them — Rick Harrison, Newsday, 19 Sept. 2004
Kids Definition of cantankerous
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Where did the word "cantankerous" come from?
First recorded in 1765–75; origin uncertain; earlier contankerous, perhaps derivation of Middle English contack, conteck “quarrel, contention,” from Anglo-French contek, formed on the models of contentious, rancorous.
How to use "cantankerous" in a sentence?
How to use cantankerous in a sentence. The very things that make this the kind of book you could hand to a cop, a neighbor or a cantankerous uncle may make it unsatisfying for more sophisticated readers. To Chicago he was still two-fisted, hard-drinking, cantankerous.
Why is the word "sinister" Latin?
The word "sinister" is Latin for "left," because left-handed people were often thought of as suspicious, evil, or demonic.
Is cantankerous obstructiveness intolerable?
Every one recognises that cantankerous obstructiveness would only make matters worse, nay, absolutely intolerable.