Duellist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who takes part in a prescribed combat involving weapons against another person displays notable skill and adherence to a code of honor
2. Someone engaged in a pre-arranged armed confrontation, primarily between two adversaries, signifies a commitment to traditional combat practices
3. A person who participates in a formalized contest of combat, typically with swords or similar weapons, exemplifies bravery and a sense of honor in such engagements

Etymology: Latin "duellum" was an older form of "bellum," the ordinary word for "war," and the two share a root, with the initial "d" later softened to "b." Roman writers used "duellum" mostly in archaic and poetic contexts, and in later Latin it was popularly linked to "duo," "two," which shaped how it was understood. Through Medieval Latin and Italian "duello," the word reached English in the late Middle Ages as "duel," meaning a formal fight between two people. "Duellist" adds the English suffix "-ist," for someone who engages in an activity, and it appears by the late 1500s. That was a period when formal duels over honour were common among European gentlemen. The Latin ancestor meant war in general, but the English descendant narrowed to a contest between two.

Synonyms: fighter, swordsman, combatant, challenger, warrior