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bivouac

 - 3 dictionary results

biv⋅ou⋅ac

  [biv-oo-ak, biv-wak] noun, verb, -acked, -ack⋅ing.
Use bivouac in a Sentence
–noun
1. a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire.
2. the place used for such an encampment.
–verb (used without object)
3. to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.
Origin:
1700–10; < F < Swiss G bīwacht auxiliary patrol, equiv. to bī- by- + wacht patrol, watch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bivouac
biv·ou·ac   (bĭv'ōō-āk', bĭv'wāk')   
n.  A temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area.
intr.v.   biv·ou·acked, biv·ou·ack·ing, biv·ou·acs also biv·ou·acks
To camp in a bivouac.

[French, from German dialectal beiwacht, supplementary night watch : bei-, beside (from Middle High German bi-, from Old High German; see ambhi in Indo-European roots) + Wacht, watch, vigil (from Middle High German wahte, from Old High German wahta; see weg- in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bivouac 
1702, from Fr., ult. from Swiss/Alsatian biwacht "night guard," from bei- "double, additional" + wacht "guard." Original meaning was an army that stayed up on night watch; sense of "outdoor camp" is 1853. Not a common word in Eng. before the Napoleonic Wars.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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