feud

¹

[ fyood ]

noun

1. Also called blood feud. a bitter, continuous hostility, especially between two families, clans, etc., often lasting for many years or generations.
2. a bitter quarrel or contention:

   a feud between labor and management.

   Synonyms: difference, argument

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in a feud.

feud

²

[ fyood ]

noun

1. fee ( def 4 ).

feud

¹

/ fjuːd /

noun

1. feudal law land held in return for service

feud

²

/ fjuːd /

noun

1. long and bitter hostility between two families, clans, or individuals; vendetta
2. a quarrel or dispute

verb

1. intr to take part in or carry on a feud

Word History and Origins

Origin of feud¹

1300–50; variant of fead ( a misread as u ), Middle English fede < Middle French fe ( i ) de < Old High German fēhida; cognate with Old English fǣhth enmity. See foe, -th ¹

Origin of feud²

1605–15; < Medieval Latin feudum, variant of feodum. See fee

Word History and Origins

Origin of feud¹

C17: from Medieval Latin feodum , of Germanic origin; see fee

Origin of feud²

C13 fede , from Old French feide , from Old High German fēhida ; related to Old English fæhth hostility; see foe

Example Sentences

This is the latest scandal to hit NewJeans, which has for months been embroiled in a public feud with its record label, Ador.

From BBC

A feud between the regulator and Mr Dangote over supplies and pricing has rumbled on and morphed into another row with local fuel traders refusing to buy from the new refinery.

From BBC

An arson attack that caused extensive damage to a house in County Down could be linked to an ongoing loyalist feud, police have said.

From BBC

The two men sat in the Oval Office and shook hands, a somewhat disorienting image given their history of volatile public feuds.

From Salon

Newsom’s public feuds with Trump and Trump’s petty desire to punish the state led to multiple battles over healthcare funding, immigrant detention facilities, and disaster relief.

From Salon

Related Words

• altercation
• bad blood
• bickering
• conflict
• contest
• controversy
• disagreement
• discord
• dispute
• dissension
• enmity
• fight
• fracas
• hostility
• quarrel
• rivalry
• row
• run-in
• squabble
• strife