Online Etymology Dictionary

battle: c.1300, from O.Fr. bataille "battle, single combat," also "inner turmoil, harsh circumstances; army, body of soldiers," from L.L. battualia "exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing," from L. battuere "to beat, to strike" (see batter (v.)). Phrase battle royal "fight involving several combatants" is from 1670s.
battle-axe: late 14c., weapon of war; meaning "formidable woman" is U.S. slang, first recorded 1896.
battlefield: 1812, from battle (n.) + field (n.). The usual word for it in O.E. was wælstow, lit. "slaughter-place."
battleship: 1794, shortened from line-of-battle ship (1705), one large enough to take part in a main attack (formerly one of 74-plus guns). Battleship-gray as a color is attested from 1916. Fighter and bomber airplanes in World War I newspaper articles were sometimes called battleplanes, but it did not catch on.
Hilda: fem. proper name, from Ger., lit. "battle-maid," from fem. of O.H.G. hild "war, battle." The same element is in the Ger.-derived names Hildebrand (lit. "battle-sword") and Hildegard ("protecting battle-maid").
banneret: late 13c., an order of knighthood, originally in reference to one who could lead his men into battle under his own banner. Later it meant one who received rank for valiant deeds done in the king's presence in battle.
magenta: 1860, in allusion to the Battle of Magenta, in Italy, where the French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians in 1859, because the brilliant crimson aniline dye was discovered shortly after the battle, which advanced the cause of It. independence and fired the imagination of European liberals.
-machy: suffix meaning "battle, war, contest," from Gk. -makhia, from makhe "battle, fight," related to makhesthai "to fight," of unknown origin.
Valhalla: heavenly hall in which Odin receives the souls of heroes slain in battle, 1768, from O.N. Valhöll "hall of the battle-slain;" first element from valr "those slain in battle," from P.Gmc. *walaz (cf. O.E. wæl "slaughter, bodies of the slain," O.H.G. wal "battlefield, slaughter"), from PIE base *wele- "to strike, wound" (cf. Avestan vareta- "seized, prisoner," L. veles "ghosts of the dead," O.Ir. fuil "blood," Welsh gwel "wound"). Second element is from höll "hall," from PIE base *kel- "to conceal" (see cell). Reintroduced by 18c. antiquaries. Figurative sense is from 1845.
Matilda: fem. proper name, from Fr. Mathilde, of Gmc. origin, lit. "mighty in battle," cf. O.H.G. Mahthilda, from mahti "might, power" + hildi "battle."
embattle: 1393, "prepare for a fight," from O.Fr. embataillier "to prepare for battle," from en- + bataille (see battle). Originally of armies; of individuals as well since 1596 (first attested in Spenser). Embattled "under attack" is from 1961.
slogan: 1513, "battle cry," from Gaelic sluagh-ghairm "battle cry used by Scottish Highland or Irish clans," from sluagh "army, host, slew" + gairm "a cry." Metaphoric sense of "distinctive word or phrase used by a political or other group" is first attested 1704. Sloganeering is attested from 1941.
battalion: 1580s, from M.Fr. bataillon, from It. battaglione "battle squadron," from dim. of V.L. battalia "battle," from L. bauttere "to beat" (see batter (v.)). Specific sense of "part of a regiment" is from 1708.
"Madame, lui répondit-il, ne vous y fiez pas: j'ay tôujours vû Dieu do coté des gros Batallions." [E.Boursault, 1702]
royal: c.1250, from O.Fr. roial, from L. regalis, from rex (gen. regis) "king" (see rex). Battle royal (1672) preserves the Fr. custom of putting the adj. after the noun (cf. attorney general); the sense of the adj. here is "on a grand scale." As a modifier meaning "thorough, total" royal is attested in Eng. from 1940s. Royalist first recorded 1643. The Royal Oak was a tree in Boscobel in Shropshire in which Charles II hid himself during flight after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Sprigs of oak were worn to commemorate his restoration in 1660.
phalanx: 1553, from Gk. phalanx (gen. phalangos) "line of battle, battle array," also "finger or toe bone," originally "round piece of wood, trunk, log," of unknown origin, perhaps from PIE base *bhelg- "plank, beam" (cf. O.E. balca "balk;" see balk). In anatomy, originally the whole row of finger joints, which fit together like infantry in close order. Fig. sense of "number of persons banded together in a common cause" is attested from 1600 (cf. Sp. Falangist, member of a fascist organization founded in 1933).
Catalan: 1480, from the indigenous name, which is of Celtic origin and probably means "chiefs of battle."
herring: O.E. hering (Anglian), hæring (W. Saxon), from W.Gmc. *kheringgaz (cf. O.Fris. hereng, M.Du. herinc, Ger. Hering), of unknown origin, perhaps related to O.E. har "gray, hoar," from the color, or to O.H.G. heri "host, multitude" from its large schools. Herring-bone is first recorded 1659 as a type of stitch; 1905 as a type of cirrocumulus cloud. The Battle of the Herrings (Fr. baraille des harengs) is the popular name for the battle at Rouvrai, Feb. 12, 1492, fought in defense of a convoy of provisions, mostly herrings and other "lenten stuffe."
Antietam: place name, eastern U.S., from an Algonquian word perhaps meaning "swift water," occurring in Pennsylvania and Ohio, but the best-known is a creek near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland, site of a bloody Civil War battle Sept. 17, 1862.
Waterloo: battle took place June 18, 1815, at village near Brussels; extended sense of "a final, crushing defeat" is first attested 1816 in letter of Lord Byron. The second element in the place name is from Flemish loo "sacred wood."
Ghibelline: 1573, from Ger. Waiblingen, seat of the Hohenstaufens in Württemberg. The name was said to have been used as a rallying cry by partisans of Conrad III at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140). See Guelph.
drawn: c.1200, pp. of draw; in the sense of "undecided" (of a battle or match), 1610, perhaps from withdrawn; in the sense of "disemboweled" it is attested from 1789.
Harvey: proper name introduced in England by Bretons at the Conquest; from O.Fr. Hervé, O.Bret. Aeruiu, Hærviu, lit. "battle-worthy."
cringe: early 13c., from causative of O.E. cringan "give way, fall (in battle), become bent," from P.Gmc. *krank- "bend, curl up."
Griselda: fem. proper name, from It., from Ger. Grishilda, from O.H.G. grisja hilda "gray battle-maid."
hurrah: 1686, alteration of huzza, apparently infl. by similar shouts in Ger., Dan., Swed. May have been picked up during Thirty Years' War. According to Moriz Heyne, this was the battle-cry of Prussian soldiers during the War of Liberation (1812-13). Hooray is its popular form and is almost as old.
Cairo: city in Egypt, named 973 C.E., Arabic al-Kahira "the strong." The Egyptian name was said to be khere-ohe "place of combat," said to be in ref. to a battle between the gods Seth and Horus that took place here.
cinquain: "collection of five," 1711, from Fr. cinquain, from cinq "five" (see five). Originally in Eng. of military orders of battle; of 5-lined stanzas of verse from 1882.
hubbub: 1555, whobub "confused noise," generally believed to be of Irish origin, perhaps from Gaelic ub!, expression of aversion or contempt, or O.Ir. battle cry abu, from buide "victory."
Stuka: Ger. dive bomber of World War II, 1940, from Ger. shortening of Sturzkampfflugzeug, from sturz "fall" + kampf "battle" + flugzeug "aircraft."
Appomattox: eccentric spelling of pl. of Appomattoc, name of a local subgroup of the Powhatan (Algonquian) confederacy in Virginia (first attested as Apamatic, 1607). Site of last battle for Army of Northern Virginia (CSA), April 9, 1865, and of Lee's surrender to Grant in Wilmer McLean house, April 9, 1865.
Lewis: Anglo-Fr. form of Fr. Louis, from Frank. Hludwig "loud-battle," Latinized as Ludovicus (cf. Clovis, Ludwig).
attack: c.1600, from Fr. attaquer (16c.), from Florentine attaccare (battaglia) "join (battle)," thus the word is a doublet of attach, which was also used 15c.-17c. in the sense now reserved to attack.
Geronimo: "cry made in jumping," from the story of the Apache leader Geronimo making a daring leap to escape U.S. cavalry pursuers at Medicine Bluffs, Okla. (and supposedly shouting his name in defiance as he did). Adopted as battle cry by 82nd Airborne U.S. paratroopers in World War II, who perhaps had seen it in a movie. The name is the It. and Sp. form of Jerome, from Gk. Hieronomos, lit. "sacred name."
gore (n.): O.E. gor "dirt, dung, shit," a Gmc. word (cf. M.Du. goor "filth, mud;" O.N. gor "cud;" O.H.G. gor "animal dung"), of uncertain origin. Sense of "clotted blood" (especially shed in battle) developed by 1563.
guidon: "small flag," 1548, from M.Fr., from It. guidone "battle standard," from guidare "to direct, guide," from O.Prov. guidar (see guide).
Ragnarok: in Norse mythology, the last battle of the world, in which gods and men will be destroyed by monsters and darkness, 1770, from O.N. ragna, gen. of regin "the gods" + rök "destined end" or rökr "twilight."
marathon: 1896, marathon race, from story of Gk. hero Pheidippides, who ran the 26 miles and 385 yards to Athens from the Plains of Marathon to tell of the allied Greek victory there over Persian army, 490 B.C.E. The original story (Herodotus) is that he ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid, which arrived too late to participate in the battle. Introduced as an athletic event in the 1896 revival of the Olympic Games, based on a later, less likely story, and quickly extended to mean "any very long event or activity."
arrange: late 14c., "to draw up a line of battle," from O.Fr. arrangier, from a- "to" + rangier "set in a row" (Mod.Fr. ranger), from rang "rank," from Frank. *hring. A rare word until the meaning generalized to "to place things in order" c.1780-1800. Musical sense of "adapt for other instruments or voices" is from 1808.
wage (v.): c.1320, "to pledge, deposit as a pledge," from O.N.Fr. wagier (O.Fr. gagier), from wage (see wage (n.)). Meaning "to carry on" (of war, etc.) is attested from 1456, probably from earlier sense of "to offer as a gage of battle" (c.1430).
balaclava: "woolen head covering," especially worn by soldiers, evidently named for village near Sebastopol, Russia, site of a battle Oct. 25, 1854, in the Crimean War. But the term (originally Balaclava helmet) does not appear before 1900 and seems to have come into use in the Boer War. The British troops seem to have suffered from the cold in the Crimean War, and the usage might be a remembrance of that conflict. The town name (Balaklava) often is said to be from Turkish, but is perhaps folk-etymologized from a Gk. original Palakion.
antagonist: c.1600, from L. antagonista, from Gk. antagonistes "competitor, opponent, rival," from antagonizesthai "to struggle against," from anti- "against" + agonizesthai "to contend for a prize," from agon "contest" (see agony). Originally in battle or sport, extended 1620s to any sphere of human activity. Related: Antagonistic (1630s).
oriflamme: sacred banner of St. Denis, late 15c., from O.Fr. orie flame, from L. aurea flamma "golden flame." The ancient battle standard of the kings of France, it was of red or orange-red silk, with two or three points, and was given to the kings by the abbot of St. Denis on setting out to war. Cotgrave says it was "borne at first onely in warres made against Infidells; but afterwards vsed in all other warres; and at length vtterly lost in a battell against the Flemings." It is last mentioned in an abbey inventory of 1534.
sciamachy: "fighting with shadows, shadow-boxing" 1623, from Gk. skiamakhia "shadow-fighting, a sham fight" but perhaps lit. "fighting in the shade" (i.e., in school), from skia "shade, shadow" + makhe "battle."
Guelph: 1579, from It. Guelfo, from O.H.G. Welf, name of a princely family that became the ducal house of Brunswick, lit. "whelp," originally the name of the founder. One of the two great parties in medieval It. politics, characterized by support of the popes against the emperors (opposed to the Ghibellines). They are the ancestors of the present dynasty of Great Britain. The name is said to have been used as a war-cry at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140) by partisans of Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria, who was of the family, against Emperor Conrad III; hence it was adopted in Italy as the name of the anti-imperial party.
Nashville: type of country & western music, 1963, from Nashville, capital of Tennessee, where it originated. The city is named for Gen. Francis Nash (1742-1777) of North Carolina, U.S. Revolutionary War hero, killed at the Battle of Germantown. The surname is attested from 1296 in Sussex Subsidy Rolls, atten Eysse, atte Nasche (with assimilation of -n- from a preposition; see N), meaning "near an ash tree," or "near a place called Ash."
ordinance: c.1300, "an authoritative direction, decree, or command" (narrower or more transitory than a law), from O.Fr. ordenance, from M.L. ordinantia, from L. ordinantem (nom. ordinans), prp. of ordinare "put in order" (see ordain). By early 14c. senses had emerged of "arrangement in ranks or rows" (especially in order of battle), also "warlike provisions, equipment" (a sense now in ordnance).
remora: "sucking fish," 1567, from L. remora, lit. "delay, hindrance," from re- "back" + mora "delay;" so called because the fish were believed by the ancients to retard a vessel to which they attached themselves. Pliny writes that Antony's galley was delayed by one at the Battle of Actium. Sometimes called in Eng. stayship or stopship.
gonfalon: 1595, variant of M.E. gonfanon (c.1300), from O.Fr. gonfanon "knight's pennon," from O.H.G. guntfano "battle flag," from P.Gmc. *gunthja- "war" + *fano "banner" (cf. Goth. fana "cloth"). Cognate with O.E. guþfana, O.N. gunnfani. Change of -n- to -l- by dissimilation.
Cain: elder son of Adam and Eve, from Heb. Qayin, lit. "created one," also "smith," from Sem. stem q-y-n "to form, to fashion." To raise Cain is first recorded 1840. Surnames McCain, McCann, etc., are a contraction of Ir. Mac Cathan "son of Cathan," from Celt. cathan, lit. "warrior," from cath "battle."
civil war: "battles among fellow citizens or within a community," from civil in a sense of "occurring among fellow citizens;" the sense is attested from late 14c., in batayle ciuile "civil battle," etc. The exact phrase is attested from 1494. Early use typically in ref. to ancient Rome. Later, in England, the struggle between Parliament and Charles I (1641-1651); in U.S., the War of Secession (1861-1865), an application often decried as wholly inaccurate but cemented by the use of the term in the popular "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" series published 1884-87 in "Century Magazine").