Forms: 3 pl. quarreaus, 4–5 quarelle, 4–6 quarel, (4 qwarel, 5 quarele, -eyll, wharle, 6 quar’le), 5–6 quarell, (6 quer-), 6–7 quarrell, (6 -elle), 6– quarrel. [a. OF. quarel, quarrel (quaral, caral, etc., pl. quarriaus, quareus), later quarriau, -eau, mod.F. carreau, = Prov. cairel, It. quadrello, Sp. cuadrillo, med.L. quadrellus, dim. of Prov. caire, It. quadro, (Sp. cu-), med.L. quadrus a square: cf. QUADREL.]
1. A short, heavy, square-headed arrow or bolt, formerly used in shooting with the cross-bow or arbalest.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 62. Þeo hwile þet me mit quarreaus … asaileð þene castel.
1340. Ayenb., 71. Al hit ys ywent wel raþre þan … quarel of arblaste.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4743. The Grekes … Whappet in wharles, whellit the popull.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 314 b/2. A sowne lyke as a quarel had be shotte out of Arbalaste or a crosse bowe.
1540. Act 33 Hen. VIII., c. 6. Crossebowes … ready furnished with quarelles.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. xi. 33. Now had the Carle … his hands Discharged of his bow and deadly quar’le.
1750. Carte, Hist. Eng., II. 463. The Genoese being ordered to begin the onset, let fly their quarrels, when they imagined themselves to be within a proper distance of the enemy.
1846. Greener, Sc. Gunnery, 4. It is said of the cross-bow, that a quarrel could be projected from them 200 yards.
attrib. 1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. xi. Dartes daggers … And quarrelheades sharpe & square yground.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXI. xi. 400. Ordinance of quarell shot, brakes, and other artillerie.
b. dial. (See quot.)
1840. Spurdens, East-Anglian Words (E. D. S.), Quarrel, a kind of bird-bolt, with a lozenge-shaped head; now only used by rook-bolters for beating down rooks’ nests.
† 2. A square needle. Also attrib. Obs. rare.
1496. Bk. St. Albans, Fishing, H iij. For smalle fysshe ye shall make your hokes of the smalest quarell nedlys that ye can fynde of stele, & in this wyse. Ye shall put the quarell in a redde charkcole fyre [etc.].
3. A square or (more usually) diamond-shaped pane of glass, of the kind used in making lattice-windows. Now rare exc. dial. (Cf. QUARRY sb.3 2.)
1447. in Parker, Gloss. Archit. (1850), 290. Every windowe conteineth vi lights … Item all the katurs, quarrells, and oylements.
1507. in Gage, Suffolk, 143. Setting vp of white Normandy glas, oon rowe of quarrells white.
1542. Boorde, Dyetary, viii. (1870), 249. Let your skynner cut both … the skynnes in smale peces tryangle wyse, lyke halfe a quarel of a glase wyndow.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie (Arb.), 106. The Lozange is … a quadrangle reuerst, with his point vpward like to a quarrell of glasse.
1669. Boyle, Contn. New Exp., I. (1682), 25. Some plates of glass such as are used for making the Quarrels of Windows.
1711. C. Lockyer, Trade in India, vi. 164. Oyster-shells fixt Diamond-wise in wooden Frames, instead of Glass, which look something like our small, old fashion’d Quarrels.
1828. Craven Gloss., Quarrel, a square of glass.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IX. 145/2. The colour … of the quarrels in the original window is a light bluish-green.
attrib. 1820. Scott, Abbot, xxxiv. A quarrel pane of glass in the turret window.
† 4. A square tile. Obs. rare. (Cf. QUARRY sb.3 3.)
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 596. The manner of pauing with smal tiles or quarrels ingrauen. Ibid. (1610), Camden’s Brit., I. 511. The pauements wrought Checker wise with small square quarels.
5. techn. a. A glazier’s diamond (1807 Douce, Illustr. Shaksp., I. 181). b. A four-sided graver (Ogilvie, 1882). c. A stonemason’s chisel (ibid.).
