"to serve in a campaign," 1701, from campaign (n.). Political sense is from 1801. Related: Campaigned; campaigning; campaigner.
1640s, "operation of an army in the field," during a single season, in a particular region, or in a definite enterprise; from French campagne "campaign," literally "open country," from Old French champagne "countryside, open country" (suited to military maneuvers), from Late Latin campania "level country" (source of Italian campagna, Spanish campaña, Portuguese campanha), from Latin campus "a field" (see campus).
Old armies spent winters in quarters and took to the "open field" to seek battle in summer. The meaning was generalized to "continued or sustained aggressive operations for the accomplishment of some purpose" (1790); in U.S., especially "political activity before an election, marked by organized action in influencing the voters" [DAE], attested from 1809.
obsolete form of campaign.
"open country, plain," c. 1400, from Old French champagne "country, countryside," from Latin campania "plain, level country," especially that near Rome (see campaign (n.)).
"bell-tower," especially a detached high building erected for containing bells, 1630s, from Italian, from campana "bell," from Late Latin campana, originally "metal vessel made in Campania," region of southern Italy, including the Neapolitan plain, from Latin Campania, literally "level country" (see campaign (n.)).
effervescent wine, 1660s, from French, short for vin de Champagne "wine made in Champagne," the former province in northeast France, the name of which is etymologically "open country" (see campaign (n.)). Originally any wine from this region (especially from the vineyards south of Reims), the sense then narrowed to the "sparkling" wines made there (the effervescence is artificially produced), and by late 18c. expanded to effervescent wines made anywhere.
1570s, "a mushroom," from French champignon (14c.), with change of suffix from Old French champegnuel, from Vulgar Latin *campaniolus "that which grows in the field," from Late Latin campaneus "pertaining to the fields," from campania "level country" (see campaign (n.)).
The French word for mushrooms generally; in English the sense gradually narrowed 18c. to the edible species, and especially that growing in fairy rings.
1915, acronym of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. First used in reference to the Gallipoli campaign.
early 15c., expedicioun, "military campaign; the act of rapidly setting forth," from Old French expedicion "an expediting, implementation; expedition, mission" (13c.) and directly from Latin expeditionem (nominative expeditio) "an enterprise against an enemy, a military campaign," noun of action from past-participle stem of expedire "make ready, prepare" (see expedite). Meaning "journey for some purpose" is from 1590s. Sense by 1690s also included the body of persons on such a journey.
"one who throws bombs," 1915, agent noun from bomb (v.). Used in the U.S. Civil War (1863) in reference to mortar-mounted flat-bottomed river-boats in the Vicksburg campaign. As a type of military aircraft, from 1917.
