bivouac

[biv-oo-ak, biv-wak]

See more synonyms for bivouac on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), biv·ou·acked, biv·ou·ack·ing.

to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.

Origin of bivouac

1700–10; < French < Swiss German bīwacht auxiliary patrol, equivalent to bī- by- + wacht patrol, watch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bivouac

encampment, tent, campground, campsite, hover, linger, stop, live, continue, endure, stand, persist, last, prevail, survive, wait, garrison, hut, billet, camp

Examples from the Web for bivouac

Historical Examples of bivouac

Ascended a red-topped peak close to our bivouac and got a view ahead.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Continuing westerly for about ten miles, we reached the water, our bivouac on the 22nd.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
On a day late in October our company were in bivouac after some hard night-riding.
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
The occupants of this bivouac had turned in, and the lights had been doused.
Captain Brand of the "Centipede"
H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise
The bivouac was in the neighborhood of the Ground Squirrel bridge.
Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman
J. H. (James Harvey) Kidd

British Dictionary definitions for bivouac

bivouac

noun

a temporary encampment with few facilities, as used by soldiers, mountaineers, etc

verb -acs, -acking or -acked

(intr) to make such an encampment

Word Origin for bivouac

C18: from French bivuac, probably from Swiss German Beiwacht, literally: by + watch

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

Word Origin and History for bivouac

1702, from French bivouac (17c.), ultimately from Swiss/Alsatian biwacht "night guard," from bei- "double, additional" + wacht "guard" (see wait (v.)). Original meaning was an army that stayed up on night watch; sense of "outdoor camp" is 1853. Not a common word in English before the Napoleonic Wars. Italian bivacco is from French. As a verb, 1809, "to post troops in the night;" meaning "camp out of doors" is from 1814.