Easily irritated or difficult to control; quarrelsome and unruly. Inclined to cause trouble or be rebellious, especially in groups.
From Latin fractus, past participle of frangere (to break). The idea is of something 'broken' in temperament - not smooth or whole, but jagged and difficult to handle. A fractious person breaks the peace like a fractured bone breaks the skin.
Think 'fract-ious' = 'fracture-ious' - someone whose temper is fractured and likely to break at any moment! Fractious people cause fractures in group harmony. Connect it to 'fraction' - they break unity into conflicting parts.
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