bivouac English · revision 1927

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbɪv.u.æk/, /ˈbɪv.wæk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|bivouac]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) said to be a word from the Thirty Years' War.^(Etymonline) Random House and Etymonline trace it to Swiss German ''biwacht'' “auxiliary patrol, night guard”,^(RHWU)^(Etymonline) while Barnhart and Merriam-Webster give Low German ''biwacht'' or ''biwake'';^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) the American Heritage Dictionary calls it German dialect ''beiwacht'' “supplementary night watch”.^(AHD) The word is formed from ''bi-'' “by, beside”^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) and ''wacht'' “watch, guard”,^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) and is related to [[watch]] and [[wake]].^(RHWU)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A night watch kept by a whole army under arms against surprise attack (1702 in Barnhart and Etymonline, 1706 in the OED).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ According to the OED, quoted by Etymonline, the word was not common in English before the Napoleonic Wars.^(Etymonline) The verb appears in 1809, meaning to post troops or remain in the open air at night,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and by 1814 it meant simply to camp out of doors without tents.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The noun followed, coming to mean an encampment for the night in the open air (1853)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and then any temporary encampment or shelter.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1702 – a night watch by an army (Barnhart, Etymonline).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1809 – verb, to post troops or stay in the open at night.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1814 – verb, to camp out of doors without tents.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1853 – an encampment for the night in the open air.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A temporary [[encampment]], often in an unsheltered area, especially one made by soldiers.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A temporary or makeshift [[shelter]] or lodging.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To camp in the open, with little or no shelter.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To provide temporary quarters for, as in ''bivouacked in the gym''.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[watch]]

+ * [[wake]]

+ * [[bivvy]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}