duel
noun
- arranged engagement in combat between two individuals
verb
- fight a duel, battling one-on-one
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈˈd͡ʒuːəl/ / /ˈdjuːəl/ / /ˈdul/
noun
Etymology: From Medieval Latin duellum (“fight between two men, duel”), itself from Old Latin duellum (“war, fight”), which survived in Classical Latin as a rare byform of bellum and was later reinterpreted as “duel” by unetymological association with duo (“two”). May have entered English through Middle French duel.
- Arranged, regular combat between two private persons, often over a matter of honor.
“I have often thought since, how different my fate might have been, had I not fallen in love with Nora at that early age; and had I not flung the wine in Quin’s face, and so brought on the duel.”
“Of course, not all the Railway Members were men of such talent. One member was "chiefly eminent as a whist player," and another was known for his duel with a fellow M.P. fought at Wormwood Scrubs in 1840.”
- Historically, the wager of battle (judicial combat).
- Any battle or struggle between two contending persons, forces, groups, or ideas.
“a sniper duel”
“But it leaves them with a few destroyers, the American destroyer force is falling back, and then you have the two cruiser lines with their respective battleships coming in for the big duel.”
verb
Etymology: From Medieval Latin duellum (“fight between two men, duel”), itself from Old Latin duellum (“war, fight”), which survived in Classical Latin as a rare byform of bellum and was later reinterpreted as “duel” by unetymological association with duo (“two”). May have entered English through Middle French duel.
- To engage in a battle.
“The two dogs were duelling for the bone.”
“The country’s fencing federation has officially recognised lightsaber duelling as a competitive sport, granting the weapon from George Lucas’s space saga the same status as the foil, epee and sabre, the traditional blades used at the Olympics.”