attack | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

193 entries found.

c. 1600, "assault, assail, begin hostilities against," from French attaquer (16c.), from Florentine Italian attaccare (battaglia) "join (battle)," thus the word is a doublet of attach, which was used 15c.-17c. also in the sense now reserved to attack. Meaning "endeavor to bring into discredit by writing, proposals, etc." is from 1640s. General sense of "begin action" is from 1670s, originally of diseases. Related: Attacked; attacking.

attack (n.)

1660s, "violent onset, a falling on with violence and force," from attack (v.). Meaning "fit of a disease" is from 1811. Compare Middle English attach "a seizure or attack" (of fever), late 14c.

counterattack (n.)

also counter-attack, "attack made in response to an enemy's attack," by 1850; as two words from 1817, from counter- + attack (n.). The verb is recorded from 1867. Related: Counter-attacked; counter-attacking.

incursion (n.)

"hostile attack," early 15c., from Old French incursion "invasion, attack, assault" (14c.) or directly from Latin incursionem (nominative incursio) "a running against, hostile attack," noun of action from past participle stem of incurrere "run into or against, rush at" (see incur).

rear (v.2)

"attack in the rear," 17c., from rear (n.).

hip (interj.)

exclamation used to introduce a united cheer (as in hip-hip-hurrah), 1827, earlier hep; compare German hepp, to animals a cry to attack game, to mobs a cry to attack Jews (see hep (2)); perhaps a natural sound (such as Latin eho, heus).

aggression (n.)

1610s, "unprovoked attack," from French aggression (16c., Modern French agression), from Latin aggressionem (nominative aggressio) "a going to, an attack," noun of action from past-participle stem of aggredi "to approach; to attempt; to attack," from ad "to" (see ad-) + gradi (past participle gressus) "to step," from gradus "a step," figuratively "a step toward something, an approach" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go"). Psychological sense of "hostile or destructive behavior" first recorded 1912 in A.A. Brill's translation of Freud.

sic (v.)

"to set upon, attack;" see sick (v.).

impugn (v.)

"attack by argument," late 14c., from Old French impugner (14c.), from Latin impugnare "to fight against, assault, attack," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + pugnare "to fight" (see pugnacious). Related: Impugned; impugning. Impugnable has meant "liable to be assailed" (1823) and "that cannot be assailed" (1560s).

bombing (n.)

"an attack with bombs," 1610s, verbal noun from bomb (v.).

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