biv·ou·ac
Audio Help [biv-oo-ak, biv-wak] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -acked, -ack·ing.
Audio Help [biv-oo-ak, biv-wak] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -acked, -ack·ing. –noun
–verb (used without object)
| 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. |
| 3. | to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
bivouac
To learn more about bivouac visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| biv·ou·ac
Audio Help (bĭv'ōō-āk', bĭv'wāk') Pronunciation Key
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 © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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 |
| bivouac | |
noun | |
| 1. | temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers; "wherever he went in the camp the men were grumbling" [syn: camp] |
| 2. | a site where people on holiday can pitch a tent [syn: campsite] |
verb | |
| 1. | live in or as if in a tent; "Can we go camping again this summer?"; "The circus tented near the town"; "The houseguests had to camp in the living room" [syn: camp] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Bivouac
Biv"ouac\, n. [F. bivouac, bivac, prab. fr. G. beiwache, or beiwacht; bei by, near + wachen to watch, wache watch, guard. See By, and Watch.] (Mil.) (a) The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack. (b) An encampment for the night without tents or covering.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Bivouac
Biv"ouac\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bivouacked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bivouacking.] (Mil.) (a) To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole army. (b) To encamp for the night without tents or covering.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
bivouac
bivouac was Word of the Day on May 6, 1999.
| Dictionary.com Word of the Day |
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