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bellicose

[ bel-i-kohs ]
/ ˈbɛl ɪˌkoʊs /
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See synonyms for: bellicose / bellicoseness / bellicosity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.
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Origin of bellicose

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin bellicōsus, equivalent to bellic(us) “pertaining to war” (bell(um) “war” + -icus -ic) + -ōsus -ose1

OTHER WORDS FROM bellicose

bel·li·cose·ly, adverbbel·li·cos·i·ty [bel-i-kos-i-tee], /ˌbɛl ɪˈkɒs ɪ ti/, bel·li·cose·ness, nounun·bel·li·cose, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bellicose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bellicose

bellicose
/ (ˈbɛlɪˌkəʊs, -ˌkəʊz) /

adjective
warlike; aggressive; ready to fight

Derived forms of bellicose

bellicosely, adverbbellicosity (ˌbɛlɪˈkɒsɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for bellicose

C15: from Latin bellicōsus, from bellum war
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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