Duel

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdʒuːəl/

Definitions

1. A formal combat between two people with weapons to settle a matter of honor or dispute
2. A contest of skill or strength between two individuals, typically involving weapons, that is held to resolve differences or establish superiority
3. A regulated confrontation between two opponents, often with specific rules, aimed at resolving conflicts or demonstrating prowess

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "duel" is that its link to the number two is a mistake. In Old Latin, "duellum" meant simply "war" or "fight", and it survived in Classical Latin as a rare variant of "bellum", the ordinary word for war. Over the centuries, speakers began to associate it with "duo", "two", and the word came to suggest a contest between two people. The association was never etymological; the "two" in "duel" is an accident of sound and meaning, not a true root. By the Middle Ages, Medieval Latin "duellum" was used for a fight between two men, the sense English now uses. The word may have reached English through Middle French "duel", though the exact route is uncertain. Either way, the formal meaning of a sanctioned fight between two combatants, usually over honour, is what has stayed with it.

Synonyms: combat, fight, contest, challenge, skirmish

Antonyms: reconciliation, peace, harmony, truce, settlement