Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: Latin altercatio, from altercari 'to quarrel'

altercation

 noun
     
al‧ter‧ca‧tion [countable]
formal a short noisy argument:
They became involved in an altercation.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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