combatant
Origin of combatant
OTHER WORDS FROM combatant
pre·com·bat·ant, nounun·com·bat·ant, adjectiveWords nearby combatant
MORE ABOUT COMBATANT
What does combatant mean?
A combatant is one of the sides engaged in combatâactive fighting.
In war, enemy combatants are the opposing sides in the war or battle.
In boxing and other martial arts, the two fighters can be called combatants.
The word combat is sometimes used more broadly or figuratively to refer to active conflict between two people or groups, as in The two corporations are preparing to do combat in the courtroom. The sides in this kind of combat can also be called combatants.
Less commonly, combatant can be used as an adjective meaning engaged in fighting. It can also mean inclined to fight, but the word combative is more commonly used in this way.
Example: If diplomacy fails, the two nations could become enemy combatants.
Where does combatant come from?
The first records of the word combatant come from the 1400s. It comes from the Late Latin combattere, from com-, meaning âwithâ or âtogether,â and the Latin verb battuere, meaning âto strikeâ or âto beat.â The word battle is based on this same root. The suffix -ant is used to form nouns.
Just like there canât be a battle without at least two sides, a person or group really canât be considered a combatant unless they are engaged in combat with another combatant. The word is most often associated with physical fighting. Even when the word is used in a figurative way, it often likens the sides in the conflict to physical fighters, implying that the conflict is an intense one.
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What are some other forms related to combatant?Â
- combat (noun, verb)
What are some synonyms for combatant?
What are some words that share a root or word element with combatant?Â
What are some words that often get used in discussing combatant?
How is combatant used in real life?
Combatant is most commonly used in a military context, but it can be used in many other contexts involving some kind of conflict.
"… motives included a desire to outscore other patrols in the number of enemy combatants killed, to clear at all costs the battlefield of people believed to be insurgents and to initiate new soldiers into a brotherhood of combat." #Afghanistan https://t.co/QIMBx52K4w
— Malachy Browne (@malachybrowne) November 19, 2020
Astonishing that @NYCMayor is on TV right now defending NYPD for treating peaceful protestors like enemy combatants this summer.
âIt doesnât sound right at all to me,â in response to this lawsuit. https://t.co/HKbIVNGWiC
— lauren vega (@lauxvega) October 26, 2020
Compatriots become combatants.#NRLBulldogsDragons kicks-off at 4pm!#NRL pic.twitter.com/HSSsFCdJE3
— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2015
Try using combatant!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of combatant?
A. adversary
B. ally
C. foe
D. fighter