Bat"tle , v. t. To assail in battle; to fight.
Bat"tle (băt"t'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Battled (-tl'd); p. pr. & vb. n.
Battling.]
[F. batailler, fr.
bataille. See Battle, n.]
To join in battle; to
contend in fight; as, to
battle over
theories.
To meet in arms,
and battle in the plain.
Prior.
Bat"tle , n. [OE.
bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle, OF., battle, battalion, fr. L. battalia,
battualia, the fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. batuere to
strike, beat. Cf. Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter, v. t. ]
1.
A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all
the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
2. A struggle; a
contest; as, the battle of life.
The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of
the best poet of that
day.
H.
Morley.
3. A division of
an army; a battalion. [Obs.]
The king divided his army into three battles.
Bacon.
The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every
action.
Robertson.
4. The main body, as
distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.]
Hayward.
&fist; Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of
a self- explaining compound; as, battle brand, a "brand" or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battle array; battle song.
Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle. -- Battle royal. (a)
A fight between several gamecocks,
where the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are
engaged; a mêlée. Thackeray. -- Drawn battle, one in which
neither party gains the victory. -- To give battle, to attack an enemy. -- To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle. -- Pitched battle, one in which the
armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces. -- Wager of battle. See under Wager, n.
Syn.
-- Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words
agree in denoting a close encounter between
contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it
is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few
individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street
fight. A combat is a
close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side,
engaged or intermingled
in the conflict.
Bat"tle (&?;), a.
Fertile. See Battel, a. [Obs.]
Hear it pronounced