bivouac

noun biv·ouac \ ˈbi-və-ˌwak , ˈbiv-ˌwak \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of bivouac

1 : a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter

2 a : encampment usually for a night

b : a temporary or casual shelter or lodging

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Examples of bivouac in a Sentence

soldiers setting up a bivouac by the stream

Recent Examples of bivouac from the Web

Right, competitors check their bikes at the bivouac after the end of the Stage 3.

— marc martin, latimes.com, "Titan Desert 2018 | A 385-mile ride through the Moroccan desert," 3 May 2018
Parts of the facility, more accustomed to housing oil and gas trade shows than an exhausted bivouac, smelled of urine and pet feces.

— russell gold, WSJ, "Harvey Makes Landfall in Louisiana as Waters Keep Rising in Texas," 30 Aug. 2017
This marker commemorates the last Confederate bivouac north of the Mason-Dixon Line, in .

— bonnie berkowitz, Washington Post, "Can you guess where these Confederate monuments were built?," 18 Aug. 2017
To gain admission at that time, a young climber had to demonstrate technical prowess, sleep outside on a mountain ledge (known as a bivouac), pass written tests and show a command of mountaineering history, art and literature.

— michael powell, New York Times, "Scaling the World’s Most Lethal Mountain, in the Dead of Winter," 9 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bivouac.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bivouac

French, from Low German biwacht, from bi by + wacht guard

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1819

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

bivouac Synonyms

Synonyms

camp, campground, campsite, encampment, hutment;

Related Words

colony, plantation, settlement;

jungle, shantytown;

concentration camp, prison camp;

barracks, cantonment, installation, post;

Other Military Terms

logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

bivouac

verb

Definition of bivouac

bivouacked; bivouacking

intransitive verb

1 : to make a bivouac : camp

a place for the troops to bivouac

2 : to take shelter often temporarily

transitive verb

: to provide temporary quarters for

They were bivouacked in the gym during the storm.

Examples of bivouac in a Sentence

the army bivouacked for the night by the lake
survivors of the tornado were bivouacked in the church basement

Recent Examples of bivouac from the Web

During the Civil War, troops bivouacked in farm fields.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "Farm team: Imagine grapes on the Mall and corn across the District," 1 May 2018
At night, the POWs bivouacked in fields

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "Marion Bence, World War II B-17 gunner and POW," 5 Sep. 2017
Kansas volunteers bivouacked in the East Room to protect Abraham Lincoln, and the president tested rifles on the grounds around the house.

— daniel s. levy / time books, Time, "Is the White House a 'Dump'? It Used to Be," 2 Aug. 2017
The 82nd Airborne was bivouacked in the Ardennes Forest, vastly outmanned and outgunned against a surprise German counteroffensive in the snow and ice.

— brian murphy, Twin Cities, "Paul Molitor drafts a favorite in-law to raise Opening Day flags," 3 Apr. 2017
World War I troops gave tips on bayonet thrusts, and a company of infantry in War of 1812 gear bivouacked not far from a blacksmith and an impressive array of medieval swords.

— andrew roth, Washington Post, "Tens of thousands rally across Russia in protests against corruption," 12 June 2017

Did You Know?

In his 1841 dictionary, Noah Webster observed bivouac to be a French borrowing having military origins. He defined the noun bivouac as "the guard or watch of a whole army, as in cases of great danger of surprise or attack" and the verb as "to watch or be on guard, as a whole army." The French word is derived from the Low German word biwacht, which translates to "by guard." Germans used the word specifically for a patrol of citizens who assisted the town watch at night. Today, bivouac has less to do with guarding and patrolling than it does with taking shelter.