Word of the DayThursday, May 06, 1999
bivouac
\BIV-wak, BIV-uh-wak\ , noun:1.
An encampment for the night, usually under little or no shelter.
1.
To encamp for the night, usually under little or no shelter.
Quotes:
Rob had made his emergency bivouac just below the South Summit.
-- David Breashears, "Death on the mountain", The Observer, March 30, 2003
They were stopped by savage winds and forced to bivouac 153 m below the day's goal.
-- Erik Weihenmayer, "Men of the Mountain", Time Pacific, February 4, 2002
Origin:
Bivouac comes from French bivouac, from German Beiwache, "a watching or guarding," from bei, "by, near" + wachen, "to watch."
