Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Controversy

Controversy , noun

[Latin controversia, from controversus turned against, disputed; contro- = contra + versus, past participle of vertere to turn. See Verse.]

1.
Contention; dispute; debate; discussion; agitation of contrary opinions.
This left no room for controversy about the title. — Locke
A dispute is commonly oral, and a controversy in writing. — Johnson
2.
Quarrel; strife; cause of variance; difference.
The Lord hath a controversy with the nations. — Jer. xxv. 31
3.
A suit in law or equity; a question of right. [Obsolete]
When any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment. — 2 Sam. xv. 2