Plural of friction; instances of resistance when surfaces rub together, or disagreements and conflicts between people.
From Latin 'frictio' (rubbing), derived from 'fricare' (to rub). The metaphorical sense of 'conflict' developed naturally from the physical sensation of rough, resistant rubbing.
Friction gets its meaning from actual physics—when you say two people have 'friction,' you're borrowing a physics term that perfectly captures how disagreements create resistance just like rubbing surfaces do.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.