strife
UK: straɪf | US: straɪf
n. angry or violent disagreement; conflict
n. a struggle or fight (archaic/literary)
The word "strife" originates from Old French estrif (quarrel, conflict), which itself derives from Frankish strīd (strife, fight). The root strīd is related to Old High German strīt (contest, dispute) and shares ancestry with the Proto-Germanic strīdaz, meaning "effort, contention." The silent -e in Modern English reflects its French influence. The core idea of "strife" has consistently revolved around conflict or struggle, retaining its combative connotation through linguistic evolution.
The political debate descended into petty strife.
Medieval history is filled with tales of strife between kingdoms.
Internal strife weakened the organization’s progress.
The siblings avoided strife by compromising.
His poems often reflect the strife of human existence.