In democratic societies, the result may be called logomachy, or the "war of words."

Our difference as to pity I suspect was a logomachy of my making.

He used his superstitious logomachy to cover up the truth.

A logomachy - n. an argument about words - is brewing on the Web.

And suppose he tackled me again with this logomachy, which might vainly have been set before ancient Oedipus.

He's had other misadventures in logomachy.

Samuel Bailey used the term with greater precision, distinguishing between logodaedaly and logomachy :

Logos and Logomachy.

Werenfels went further, regarding "logomachy" as a malaise of the Republic of Letters.

Their logomachy was far more stimulating to his intellect than the reserved and quiet dogmatism of Mr. Morse.

After a time this "progressive" logomachy had reached a crisis of tedium; Lord Galloway got up also and sought the drawing-room.

The underlying causes of logomachy were taken by Werenfels to be prejudice and other failings of the disputants, and ambiguity in language.

Saxon, on the contrary, delighted in the logomachy, though little enough she understood of it, following mainly by feeling, and once in a while catching a high light.

Aunty, meanwhile, having retired badly worsted from her encounter with Albert, who showed a skill in logomachy that marked him out as a future labour member, was consoling herself with meat sandwiches.

The Grants' influence led Spare to begin writing several new occult manuscripts, the Logomachy of Zos and the Zoetic Grimoire of Zos, which remained unpublished.

Two theologues once, as they wended their way To chapel, engaged in colloquial fray -- An earnest logomachy, bitter as gall, Concerning poor Adam and what made him fall. "

Therefore, I sympathize, although not without criticism on one or two themes, with the apostles and the hierarchy of our organs in their zeal to program orthodox economic and numismatic policies, although I have some logomachy with them.

A REAL DANGER Heaven forbid that I should once more wade in those swamps of logomachy and tautology in which the old guard of the Determinists still seem to be floundering.

LOGOMACHY, n. A war in which the weapons are words and the wounds punctures in the swim-bladder of self-esteem - a kind of contest in which, the vanquished being unconscious of defeat, the victor is denied the reward of success.

Philip Bury Duncan of New College, Oxford, having offered a sum of £50, for an essay on Logomachy, or the Abuse of Words, Fitzgerald bore off the prize with the special commendation of the donor and an additional grant of 25l.