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battle

 

  7  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Drawn  \Drawn\,  p.  p.  &  a. 
  See  {Draw},  v.  t.  &  i. 
 
  {Drawn  butter},  butter  melter  and  prepared  to  be  used  as  a 
  sort  of  gravy. 
 
  {Drawn  fowl},  an  eviscerated  fowl. 
 
  {Drawn  game}  or  {battle},  one  in  which  neither  party  wins; 
  one  equally  contested. 
 
  {Drawn  fox},  one  driven  from  cover.  --Shak. 
 
  {Drawn  work},  ornamental  work  made  by  drawing  out  threads 
  from  fine  cloth,  and  uniting  the  cross  threads,  to  form  a 
  pattern. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Battle  \Bat"tle\,  a. 
  Fertile.  See  {Battel},  a.  [Obs.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Battle  \Bat"tle\,  n.  [OE.  bataille,  bataile  F.  bataille  battle, 
  OF.,  battle,  battalion,  fr  L.  battalia,  battualia  the 
  fighting  and  fencing  exercises  of  soldiers  and  gladiators, 
  fr  batuere  to  strike,  beat  Cf  {Battalia},  1st  {Battel}, 
  and  see  {Batter},  v.  t.  ] 
  1.  A  general  action  fight,  or  encounter,  in  which  all  the 
  divisions  of  an  army  are  or  may  be  engaged;  an  engagement; 
  a  combat. 
 
  2.  A  struggle;  a  contest;  as  the  battle  of  life. 
 
  The  whole  intellectual  battle  that  had  at  its  center 
  the  best  poem  of  the  best  poet  of  that  day  --H. 
  Morley. 
 
  3.  A  division  of  an  army;  a  battalion.  [Obs.] 
 
  The  king  divided  his  army  into  three  battles. 
  --Bacon. 
 
  The  cavalry,  by  way  of  distinction,  was  called  the 
  battle,  and  on  it  alone  depended  the  fate  of  every 
  action  --Robertson. 
 
  4.  The  main  body,  as  distinct  from  the  van  and  rear; 
  battalia.  [Obs.]  --Hayward. 
 
  Note:  Battle  is  used  adjectively  or  as  the  first  part  of  a 
  self-explaining  compound;  as  battle  brand,  a  ``brand'' 
  or  sword  used  in  battle;  battle  cry;  battlefield; 
  battle  ground;  battlearray  battle  song. 
 
  {Battle  piece},  a  painting,  or  a  musical  composition, 
  representing  a  battle. 
 
  {Battle  royal}. 
  a  A  fight  between  several  gamecocks,  where  the  one  that 
  stands  longest  is  the  victor.  --Grose. 
  b  A  contest  with  fists  or  cudgels  in  which  more  than  two 
  are  engaged;  a  m[^e]l['e]e.  --Thackeray. 
 
  {Drawn  battle},  one  in  which  neither  party  gains  the  victory. 
 
 
  {To  give  battle},  to  attack  an  enemy. 
 
  {To  join  battle},  to  meet  the  attack;  to  engage  in  battle. 
 
  {Pitched  battle},  one  in  which  the  armies  are  previously 
  drawn  up  in  form  with  a  regular  disposition  of  the 
  forces. 
 
  {Wager  of  battle}.  See  under  {Wager},  n. 
 
  Syn:  Conflict;  encounter;  contest;  action 
 
  Usage:  {Battle},  {Combat},  {Fight},  {Engagement}.  These  words 
  agree  in  denoting  a  close  encounter  between  contending 
  parties.  Fight  is  a  word  of  less  dignity  than  the 
  others  Except  in  poetry,  it  is  more  naturally  applied 
  to  the  encounter  of  a  few  individuals,  and  more 
  commonly  an  accidental  one  as  a  street  fight.  A 
  combat  is  a  close  encounter,  whether  between  few  or 
  many  and  is  usually  premeditated.  A  battle  is 
  commonly  more  general  and  prolonged.  An  engagement 
  supposes  large  numbers  on  each  side  engaged  or 
  intermingled  in  the  conflict. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Battle  \Bat"tle\  (b[a^]t"t'l),  v.  i.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Battled} 
  (-tl'd);  p.  pr  &  vb  n.  {Battling}.]  [F.  batailler  fr 
  bataille.  See  {Battle},  n.] 
  To  join  in  battle;  to  contend  in  fight;  as  to  battle  over 
  theories. 
 
  To  meet  in  arms,  and  battle  in  the  plain.  --Prior. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Battle  \Bat"tle\,  v.  t. 
  To  assail  in  battle;  to  fight. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  battle 
  n  1:  a  hostile  meeting  of  opposing  military  forces  in  the  course 
  of  a  war;  "Grant  won  a  decisive  victory  in  the  battle  of 
  Chickamauga";  "he  lost  his  romantic  ideas  about  war  when 
  he  got  into  a  real  engagement"  [syn:  {conflict},  {fight}, 
  {engagement}] 
  2:  an  energetic  attempt  to  achieve  something  "getting  through 
  the  crowd  was  a  real  struggle";  "he  fought  a  battle  for 
  recognition"  [syn:  {struggle}] 
  3:  an  open  clash  between  two  opposing  groups  (or  individuals); 
  "the  harder  the  conflict  the  more  glorious  the 
  triumph"--Thomas  Paine;  "police  tried  to  control  the 
  battle  between  the  pro-  and  anti-abortion  mobs"  [syn:  {conflict}, 
  {struggle}] 
  v  :  battle  or  contend  against  in  or  as  if  in  a  battle;  "The 
  Kurds  are  combating  Iraqi  troops  in  Nothern  Iraq";  "We 
  must  combat  the  prejudices  against  other  races";  "they 
  battled  over  the  budget"  [syn:  {combat}] 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  BATTLE,  n.  A  method  of  untying  with  the  teeth  of  a  political  knot 
  that  would  not  yield  to  the  tongue.




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