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A.Word.A.Day--querulous

querulous (KWER-uh-luhs, KWER-yuh-) adjective

1. Given to complaining; peevish.

2. Expressing a complaint or grievance; grumbling.

[Middle English querulose, litigious, quarrelsome, from Old French querelos, from Late Latin querulosus, querulous, from Latin querulus, from queri, to complain.]

"`Take a look at the speeches and letters of the Founding Fathers,' he (Newt Gingrich) says. `Compare them with the querulous whining and petty grievances of so many modern columnists and academics.' But why not compare those statesmen with today's politicians?" Robert Pear, What would Founding Fathers say about today's political process?, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3 Mar 1996.

This week's theme: words to describe people.

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