Etymograph

English

embattle

Embattle comes from Old French embataillier ‘to array for battle’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400embataillier1‘to array for battle’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enbatelen1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1851embattle1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English embattle
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, Herman Melville, The Whale: “In behalf of the dignity of whaling, I would…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400embataillierWiktionary, English embattle‘to array for battle’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enbatelenWiktionary, English embattle
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1851embattleWiktionary, English embattle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, Herman Melville, The Whale: “In behalf of the dignity of whaling, I would…”

Every English word from Old French embataillier

Another origin of embattle

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEin‘in, into’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400*embastillerreconstructed
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enbatelen
  4. Englishtodayembattle

Today it means

verb To arrange in order of battle; to array for battle.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “embattle”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French embataillier / embattle

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