DISPUTE

dispute, verb (dI"spju;t)

[Past tense and past participle: disputed.] [ME. desputen, disputen, from Old French desputer, from Latin disputare to compute, estimate, discuss, to dispute, contend in words; from prefix dis- + putare to compute, reckon, consider. Etymological identity with French disputer, Spanish disputar, and Italian disputare.]

Derivates of dispute:

Disputability, disputable, disputableness, disputably, disputant, disputation, disputatious, disputatiously, disputatiousness, disputative, disputatively, disputativeness, disputator, dispued, disputer, disputing, undisputed, undisputedly, undisputing, indisputable, indisputability, indisputableness, indisputably.

Intransitive uses:

1. To debate or discourse argumentatively; to talk questioningly; to contend with opposing arguments or assertions; to argue against something maintained by another; to hold disputation.

Semantic-etymological identity with the Spanish disputar, Italian disputare and French disputer.

Synonyms: Argue, discuss, contest, controvert.

They love, they fight, they dispute, they cheat, they betray.

J. Swift (Gulliver’s Travels, 1726)

[He] took long journeys,—for example, to Vienna and Bologna,—expressly to dispute there.

Sarah Austin (Ranke's History of the Reformation in Germany, 1845) OED

Sometimes, to argue in a vehement manner or with altercation about something; to altercate; to wrangle.

Special syntax:

It is construed with about, on, upon a subject; with, against an opponent.It was formerly construed with of a subject. The preposition against is reputed to be archaic in the construction of this verb, but its logicality is proved enough to use it still. Against being logical, so is for (to relate the pro of the disputation).

Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.

Shakes. (Rom. & Jul., 1597) OED

'The saddle will be ready in a minute,' replied the man who was buckling it, at whom Barnardine now swore again, for his negligence, and Emily, calling feebly for help, was hurried towards the horses, while the ruffians disputed on which to place her, the one designed for her not being ready.

Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1794)

Well, Mrs. Jewkes, said I, I shall not, at this time, dispute with you about the words ruin and honourable: for I find we have quite different notions of both: But now I will speak plainer than ever I did.

Samuel Richardson (Pamela, 1739)

Critics, who disputed upon the merit of the different theatrical performers.

Samuel Johnson (The Adventurer and Idler, 1752)

For it seems there was no occasion to dispute with me on the point I was to be supposed to have conceded to.

Samuel Richardson (Clarissa, 1747)

You have dared to dispute--nay openly to rebel, against the lawful authority of your father.

Ann Radcliffe (A Sicilian Romance, 1790)

I rest against a tree, and consider that in the same shade I once disputed upon the annual overflow of the Nile with a friend who is now silent in the grave.

Samuel Johnson (Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, 1759)

[You] must have heard him often dispute against addressing ourselves to man in the humblest posture […] Henry Fielding (Amelia, 1751)

I am a maiden, unskilled to dispute for my religion, but I can die for it. Walter Scott (Ivanhoe, 1819)

2. (Semantic abuse. Obsolete.) To contend otherwise than with arguments; to strive, struggle, fight.

Transitive uses:

1. To discuss, debate, or argue (a question, a subject); to talk questioningly about (a disputable subject); to argue pro and con about (a theme); to make (a question) subject of disputation.

Semantic-etymological identity with the Spanish disputar, Italian disputare and French disputer.

It’s construed with subordinate clauseor with simple object (equivalent to a clause).

They have disputed, whether liberty be a positive or a negative idea.

Edmund Burke (Speeches and Writings)

I have sometimes heard it disputed in conversation, whether it be more laudable or desirable, that a man should think too highly or too meanly of himself.

Samuel Johnson (The Adventurer and Idler)

We have all the same general desires, but how those desires shall be accomplished will for ever be disputed.

Samuel Johnson (The Adventurer and Idler)

We may dispute it upon the road.

Walter Scott (The Abbot, 1820)

2. (Infrequent and maybe obsolete) To maintain, defend (the object being a clause, introduced by that or otherwise, defended by the disputers or disputers) by disputation.

I overheard him the other day disputing with Master Blifil that there was no merit in faith without works. Henry Fielding (The History of Tom Jones, 1749)

3. To argue against, contest, controvert, gainsay; to oppose by argument or assertion; to express dissent or opposition to; to deny the truth, accuracy or validity of (a statement, opinion, assertion, writing, etc.), or the existence of (a thing). The antonym of to maintain, admit, acknowledge, concede or defend.

Semantic-etymological identity with the Italian disputare.

To dispute the validity of a bill.

Estefalu.

There is another opinion concerning happiness, which approaches much more nearly to universality, but which may, perhaps, with equal reason be disputed.

Samuel Johnson (The Adventurer and Idler)

Benjamin took his pipe from his lips, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. 'What a natural you are, Clemmy!' he said, shaking his head, with an infinite relish of the joke, and wiping his eyes. Clemency, without the smallest inclination to dispute it, did the like, and laughed as heartily as he.

Charles Dickens (The Battle of Life, 1846)

He knew now that she was beautiful; he did not dispute that she was graceful and winning.

Charles Dickens (Dombey and Son, 1848)

Your sister showed me reasons which I dared not dispute.

Charles Dickens (Dombey and Son, 1848)

No one — not even L'Etoile — disputes the murder committed on the body found. The marks of violence are too obvious.

Edgar A. Poe

You must not, your uncle tells your mother, dispute their authority.

Samuel Richardson (Clarissa, 1747)

It would be in vain to dispute his will.

Samuel Richardson (Clarissa, 1747)

Pity the sufferings of a child, who never till this moment has dared to dispute your commands.

Ann Radcliffe (A Sicilian Romance, 1790)

It will be the better taken, if you give me cheerfully your keys. I hope, my dear, you won't dispute it.

Samuel Richardson (Clarissa, 1747)

We will say, then, that I am mad. I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of my mental existence -- the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life -- and a condition of shadow and doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second great era of my being.

Edgar A. Poe

I dispute the availability, and thus the value, of that reason which is cultivated in any especial form other than the abstractly logical. I dispute, in particular, the reason educed by mathematical study.

Edgar A. Poe

The item chiefly disputed in this bill was the very moderate charge of two pennies for the dickey. Upon my word of honor, this was not an unreasonable price for that dickey.

Edgar A. Poe

4. To controvert or contradict (a person).

[…] religious teachers dispute and hate each other, and speculative men are esteemed unsound and frivolous.

Ralph Emerson (Nature)

The Commission's majority disputed them at every point.

Peter W. Stanley (A Nation in the making: the Philippines and the United States)

Belknap could dispute Hutchinson about the quarrelsomeness of the Puritans in Holland.

Thomas W. Coit (Puritanism, 1845)

I said, "This money ain't right. I am due more money than this." He disputed me and said it was right. I said, "You are going to pay me my money"

George P. Rawick (The American slave: a composite autobiography, 1972)

He disputed me at this point, and stated that his brother and mother both had the disease […]

Columbus medical journal: A magazine of medicine and surgery, 1903

5. (Semantic abuse.) Oppose, contest, resist, reluct to accept (an action, a procedure, etc.).

Threatening to shoot the said Lowdon if he disputed doing what was required of him.

Col. Rec. Pennsylvania 1737

6. (Semantic abuse.) Methaphorically: To contend or compete for the possession of; to contest (a prize, victory, etc.)

The estate has not, during four hundred years, gained or lost a single acre. He acknowledges Macleod of Dunvegan as his chief, though his ancestors have formerly disputed the pre-eminence.

Samuel Johnson (A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland, 1775)

7. To dispute (any one) into an action, belief, etc.: To persuade or influence (a person) into an action, belief, etc. by disputation; to argue into; to talk into.

To dispute (any one) out of an action, belief, etc.: To dissuade from an action, belief, etc. by disputation; to argue out of; to talk out of.

Do you think that women are easily disputed into believing men may desexualize their heterosexual relationships when the latter find something else than the erotic utility in the former?

Estefalu

To dispute anyone out of an error.

Remember these vocables as derivate from, and composed with, the Latin root putare:

Compute, computability, computable, computant, computation, computational, computative, computativeness, computed, computer, computeracy, computerate, computerese, computerist, computerize, computerization, computerized, computing, computist, computistical, computus; count (calculation), count (v.), countable, countably, count-down, counted, counter, counting, counting-house, countless; depute, deputable, deputation, deputational, deputationist, deputationize, deputative, deputatively, deputator, deputing, deputer, deputize, deputy, deputyship; impute, imputability, imputable, imputableness, imputably, imputation, imputative, imputatively, imputativeness, imputed, imputedly; putative, putatively; repute (n. & v.), reputability, reputable, reputableness, reputably, reputation, reputational, reputative, reputatively, reputed, reputedly; account (n. & v.), accountability, accountable, accountableness, accountably, accountancy, accountant, accountantship, accounted, accounting; discount (n. & v.), discounted, discounting, discountable, discounter; recount (n. & v.), recounting, recountable, recountal, recounter, recountless; disrepute, disreputability, disreputable, disreputableness, disreputably.