bellicose

[ bel-i-kohs ]
See synonyms for: bellicosebellicosenessbellicosity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.

Origin of bellicose

1
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, adverb
  • bel·li·cos·i·ty [bel-i-kos-i-tee], /ˌbɛl ɪˈkɒs ɪ ti/, bel·li·cose·ness, noun
  • un·bel·li·cose, adjective

Words Nearby bellicose

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How to use bellicose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bellicose

bellicose

/ (ˈbɛlɪˌkəʊs, -ˌkəʊz) /


adjective
  1. warlike; aggressive; ready to fight

Origin of bellicose

1
C15: from Latin bellicōsus, from bellum war

Derived forms of bellicose

  • bellicosely, adverb
  • bellicosity (ˌbɛlɪˈkɒsɪtɪ), noun

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