bivouac: [18] Bivouac appears to be of Swiss- German origin. The early 19th-century writer Stalder noted that the term beiwacht (bei ‘additional’ + wacht ‘guard’ – a relative of English watch and wake) was used in Aargau and Zürich for a sort of band of vigilantes who assisted the regular town guard. Beiwacht was borrowed into French as bivac, and came to English in a later form bivouac.
Its original application in English was to an army remaining on the alert during the night, to guard against surprise attack; in so doing, of course, the soldiers did not go to sleep in their tents, and from this the term bivouac spread to ‘improvised, temporary camp’, without the luxury of regular tents. => wake, watch
bivouac (n.)
1702, from French bivouac (17c.), ultimately from Swiss/Alsatian biwacht "night guard," from bei- "double, additional" + wacht "guard" (see wait (v.)). Original meaning was an army that stayed up on night watch; sense of "outdoor camp" is 1853. Not a common word in English before the Napoleonic Wars. Italian bivacco is from French. As a verb, 1809, "to post troops in the night;" meaning "camp out of doors" is from 1814.
实用例句
1. The company was supposed to bivouac overnight and then return to the post the next day.
预期这个连当天在野外露营,次日返回驻地.
来自辞典例句
2. While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars.
在临时宿营地, 我们就头顶星星,躺在睡袋里过夜.
来自辞典例句
3. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life.
在这人生的宿营地, 在这辽阔的世界战场.
来自互联网
4. There is a semi - circular bivouac tent on the grass.
