Etymologically
Log in

battlefield

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈbæt.əl.fiːld/, US /ˈbæt̬.əl.fiːld/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English battle + field.[2] The usual Old English word was wælstow, literally “slaughter-place”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The scene of a battle: 1769 in Merriam-Webster, 1812 in Etymonline.[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

It is also used figuratively, of a subject that people argue about a great deal.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 1769 – battlefield.[3]
  • 1812 – battle-field.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The place where a battle is or was fought; a battleground.
  2. A field of conflict or dispute.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin