encampment
UK /ɪnˈkæmpm(ə)nt/ · US /ɪnˈkæmpmənt/ noun, proper noun
Forms encampments
- noun (often military) A place where people (such as displaced people, soldiers, or travellers) encamp, that is, stay in tents or other temporary structures; a camp or campsite.
- noun (figurative) A place where people or things stay temporarily.
- noun (by extension, archaeology) An enclosed or fortified prehistoric site, especially a European Iron Age hill-fort.
- noun (by extension) A meeting (especially an annual meeting or important conference) of an outdoorsy group of people, such as military veterans or scouts of the scouting movement.
- noun (by extension, Freemasonry, obsolete) A meeting of Freemasons.
- noun (uncountable) The act of encamping or setting up a camp; also, the state of being encamped or in a camp.
- proper noun (astronomy) a Chinese constellation located near Pegasus, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.
Synonyms
campsite campground camping site camping ground bivouac camping area camp cantonment camping bivouacking tenting
Etymology
From encamp (“to establish a camp or temporary shelter”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or their results).
A calque of Chinese 室宿 (Shìsù) (literally "room" or "chamber").
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “encampment”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details