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ambush

Etymology and origin of the English word ambush

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈæm.bʊʃ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English embushen,[2][3] borrowed from Old French embuschier (“to hide, lay an ambush”),[3][4][5] from Old French en- (“in”) + busche (“wood, bush”),[3][5][2] the second element probably from Frankish *busk (“bush, woods”).[4][3][5] The idea is probably “to hide in the bush” or “to lure into the bush”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb (about 1300), to place troops in hiding in order to take an enemy by surprise.[5][6]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline and Barnhart date the noun to the late 15th century, when it meant the concealed troops themselves,[3][5] though the OED has a noun quotation from about 1380.[6] By the 1570s it was used outside warfare, and by the 1590s figuratively.[3][6] English earlier used ambushment (late 14th century) for the same idea.[3] The verb's sense “to attack from a hidden position” is first recorded in 1631.[6]

Timeline

  • about 1300 – verb, to place troops in hiding.[5][6]
  • about 1380 – noun, troops concealed to surprise an enemy.[6]
  • 1592 – figurative use.[6]
  • 1626 – verb, to lie in wait.[6]
  • 1631 – verb, to attack from an ambush.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of lying hidden in order to attack by surprise.
  2. A surprise attack made from a hidden position.
  3. The people lying in wait, or their hiding place.
  4. A hidden danger or trap.

Verb

  1. To attack from a hidden position.
  2. To station in hiding for a surprise attack.

Word family

  • ambusher
  • ambushment
  • ambushlike
  • bush
  • ambuscade

Usage notes

Ambush, ambuscade, bushwhack and waylay all mean to attack suddenly from concealment.[4]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Ambush.” Etymologically, 9 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ambush. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .