skirmish
UK /ˈskɜːmɪʃ/ · US /ˈskɝmɪʃ/ noun, verb
Forms skirmishes skirmishing skirmished scirmish
- noun (military) A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.
- noun (figuratively, by extension) Any minor dispute. “Three people were arrested after a skirmish in a bar.”
- noun A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons.
- verb (intransitive) To engage in a minor battle or dispute.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish or skirmishes; to act as skirmishers.
- noun A slight fight in war; a light or desultory combat between detachments from armies, or between detached and small bodies of troops.
- noun A slight contest.
Etymology [OE. skirmishen, scarmishen, OF. escremir, eskermir, to fence, fight, F. escrimer, of German origin; cf. OHG. scirmen to protect, defend, G. schirmen, OHG. scirm, scerm, protection, shield, G. schirm; perhaps akin to Gr. Scaramouch, Scrimmage.]
Etymology [OE. scarmishe, scrymishe. See Skirmish, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “skirmish”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details