# battle

Pronunciation: say "BAT-uhl" /ˈbætl̩/

## Noun

1. A sustained fight between organized armed forces in a war, larger and more decisive than a skirmish.
   - Simple: A big fight between two armies during a war.
   - _The decisive battle ended the war within a week._
   - _Historians still study the great battles of the ancient world._
2. A contest or struggle between opposing sides, forces, or interests.
   - Simple: A hard fight or struggle to win or to get something.
   - _Winning the contract was a long battle against much bigger firms._
   - _He came to see life as a constant battle for survival._
4. A head-to-head competition between performers or teams in rapping or street dance, such as breakdancing.
   - Simple: A contest where people or teams try to beat each other at rapping or dancing.
   - _She entered her first freestyle battle at sixteen._
   - _Crowds gathered to watch the breakdance battle in the park._

## Verb

3. To fight or struggle against an opponent, obstacle, or difficulty.
   - Simple: To fight hard against a person, problem, or enemy.
   - _Volunteers battle hunger in their community every winter._
   - _She battled a long illness with great courage._

## Noun

5. A division or body of troops in an army's battle formation, especially the main central force. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: In old armies, one large group of soldiers, especially the main group in the middle.
   - _The king split his army into four parts, and each battle marched under its own lord's banner._
   - _The commander drew up his battles along the ridge before dawn._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Short for battle buddy: in the US Army, a fellow soldier paired with another for mutual support and safety in training and combat.
- (adjective) Of grass, pasture, or land: rich and nourishing, good for fattening cattle or sheep.
- (verb) To feed or nourish a person or animal, especially so as to build them up.
- (verb) To make land or soil fertile and fruitful.

## Origin

English borrowed this from Old French bataille, which came from Late Latin battalia, a form of battualia ('fighting and fencing exercises'), from Latin battuo ('to strike, hit, beat, fight'). The ultimate origin is uncertain, possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to stab' or 'to hit'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/battle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).