bivouac
Americannoun
-
a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire.
-
the place used for such an encampment.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of bivouac
1700–10; < French < Swiss German bīwacht auxiliary patrol, equivalent to bī- by- + wacht patrol, watch
Explanation
If you ever draped a blanket over bushes or lawn chairs in the backyard and pretended to bunk down under it when you were a kid, you’ve made a bivouac — a temporary, makeshift camp with little or no cover. Bivouac comes from the 18th-century German word biwacht, and originally meant a patrol of ordinary citizens who helped the town’s night watchmen. Nowadays, you’ll most often see it used as a noun, but it can be a verb too — and it's often associated with soldiers, though that’s not essential. If you tend to sleepwalk, you might not want to bivouac at the edge of that cliff; make your bivouac in the meadow instead.
Vocabulary lists containing bivouac
Code Talker
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Into Thin Air
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Tolkien Reading Day, List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Six months after their performance at the Bivouac, The Killers released their first album, Hot Fuss, which reached number one in the UK and set them on the road to superstardom.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2024
Steve ran the Bivouac club, which was based above the Duke of Wellington pub, until 2009.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2024
Regardless, the Bivouac gained a strong reputation for live music and hosted the likes of The Kaiser Chiefs and the Scottish rock group Biffy Clyro.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2024
Tony obliged to great effect, with added tribal body paint, and subsequently become a semi-regular fixture - when he wasn't on tour himself as the drummer in Derby alternative rock band Bivouac.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2022
The poem on which his fame largely rests is The Bivouac of the Dead.
From Poets of the South by Painter, F. V. N. (Franklin Verzelius Newton)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
