"of or pertaining to a ship or ships," specifically "pertaining to a navy," early 15c., from Old French naval (14c.) and directly from Latin navalis "pertaining to a ship or ships," from navis "ship," from PIE root *nau- "boat." An Old English word for "naval" was scipherelic.
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.
"to serve in a campaign," 1701, from campaign (n.). Political sense is from 1801. Related: Campaigned; campaigning; campaigner.
obsolete form of campaign.
type of cast-iron smooth-bore naval artillery cannon, by 1854, named for its inventor, U.S. naval ordnance officer John A. Dahlgren (1809-1870), who was of Swedish ancestry.
1660s, "empower or authorize by commission," from commission (n.). In the naval sense, of persons, "be given the rank of an officer (by commission from authority)," from 1793; of a ship, "to be transferred from the naval yard and placed in the command of the officer put in charge of it," 1796. Related: Commissioned; commissioning.
"naval branch of the English executive," early 15c., admiralte, from Old French amiralte, from amirail (see admiral).
1915, acronym of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. First used in reference to the Gallipoli campaign.
"crazy," 1957, British slang, perhaps from earlier naval slang meaning "slightly drunk" (1948), from notion of a thump ("bonk") on the head.
"action of disarming," by 1795; see noun of action from disarm. Especially in reference to reduction of military and naval forces from a war to a peace footing.
