bivouac

English

WOTD – 20 August 2008

Alternative forms

• bivouack
• biouac, bivoac, bihovac (obsolete)
• bivy, bivvy (shortening)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French bivouac (earlier biouac, bivac), from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“reinforcements of guard or town watch”), from bii- + Wacht (“watch, guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪv.u.æk/, /ˈbɪv.wæk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

bivouac (plural bivouacs)

1. An encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering.
2. Any temporary encampment.
3. A temporary shelter constructed generally for a few nights.
   • September 23, 2005, Boston Globe:

     The outing begins by Thursday noon, when the recreational vehicles start rumbling into town and their owners set up bivouacs.

4. (dated) The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack.
5. (zoology) A structure formed by migratory ants out of their own bodies to protect the queen and larvae.

Derived terms

• bivouac sack

Translations

encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering

• Bulgarian: бива́к (bg) m (bivák)
• Catalan: bivac (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 露宿 (zh) (lùsù), 露營／露营 (zh) (lùyíng), 野營／野营 (zh) (yěyíng)

• Czech: bivak m
• Danish: bivuak (da) c
• Dutch: bivak (nl) n
• Esperanto: bivako
• Finnish: laavu (fi)
• French: bivouac (fr) m
• Galician: bivaque m
• German: Biwak (de) n
• Italian: bivacco (it) m
• Japanese: ビバーク (ja) (bibāku), 露営 (ja) (ろえい, roei)
• Maori: tīhokahoka, māhauhau
• Polish: biwak (pl) m
• Portuguese: bivaque (pt) m
• Romanian: bivuac (ro) n
• Russian: бива́к (ru) m (bivák), бивуа́к (ru) m (bivuák), ла́герь (ru) m (lágerʹ)
• Spanish: vivac (es) m, vivaque (es) m
• Swedish: bivack (sv) c
• Turkish: açık ordugâh (tr)
• Ukrainian: бівуа́к (uk) m (bivuák), біва́к (uk) m (bivák)

a temporary shelter for a few nights

• Maori: māhauhau, tīhokahoka, pōrukuruku
• Polish: biwak (pl) m

Verb

bivouac (third-person singular simple present bivouacs or bivouacks, present participle bivouacing or bivouacking, simple past and past participle bivouacked)

1. To set up camp.

   We'll bivouac here tonight.

   • 1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia:

     They reached the fir wood which had caused them so much trouble while it was still daylight, and bivouacked in a hollow just above it. It was tedious gathering the fire wood; […]

2. To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole army.
3. To encamp for the night without tents or covering.

Translations

to set up camp

• Catalan: bivaquejar (ca)
• Dutch: bivakkeren (nl)
• German: biwakieren (de)
• Italian: bivaccare (it), accamparsi (it), attendarsi, campeggiare (it)
• Polish: biwakować (pl) impf, zabiwakować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: bivacar (pt)

French

Alternative forms

• bivac, bivoie, biouac

Etymology

From earlier bivoie, biouac, bivac, from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“a patrol of citizens added - in time of alarm or commotion - to the regular town watch”), from bii- (“by-”) + Wacht (“watch, guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi.vwak/

Noun

bivouac m (plural bivouacs)

1. bivouac (encampment for the night)

Derived terms

• bivouaquer

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: бивак (bivak)
• → Czech: bivak
• → Danish: bivuak
• → Dutch: bivak
• → English: bivouac, bivouack; biouac, bivoac, bihovac; bivy, bivvy
• → German: Biwak
• → Galician: bivaque
• → Hungarian: bivak
• → Italian: bivacco
• → Japanese: ビバーク (bibāku)
• → Macedonian: бивак (bivak)
• → Polish: biwak
• → Portuguese: bivaque
• → Russian: бивак (bivak), бивуак (bivuak)
• → Slovak: bivak
• → Slovene: bivak
• → Spanish: vivac, vivaque
• → Swedish: bivack

Further reading

• “bivouac”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.