the.com/contention
The polite word for a fight nobody will admit is a fight.
means A point being argued over, or the state of ongoing dispute or rivalry between people who disagree.
from From Latin 'contendere' — 'con-' (together) plus 'tendere' (to stretch) — literally to stretch oneself alongside another, as in a race or a struggle. The same root gives us 'contend' and 'tension.' So contention is, at its root, two people stretched taut against each other — which is a pretty accurate picture of most arguments.
- root
- from latin contendere, to stretch tightly together
- legal use
- the core claim a lawyer must defend
- bone of contention
- originally dogs fighting over an actual bone
- sports sense
- still alive, not yet eliminated from winning