ambush
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English enbuschen, from Old French enbuscier, anbuchier (verb) (whence Middle French embusche (noun)), from Old French en- + Vulgar Latin boscus (“wood”), from Frankish *busk (“bush”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush, heavy stick”). Compare ambuscade. The change to am- from earlier forms in en- is unexplained. More at bush.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
ambush (plural ambushes)
- The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.
- An attack launched from a concealed position.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- Heaven, whose high walls fear no assault or siege / Or ambush from the deep.
- The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
- the Georgean hills,
Whoſe tops are couered with Tartarian theeues,
That lie in ambuſh, waiting for a pray:
- The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 8:19:
- And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ranne as soone as he had stretched out his hand: and they entred into the city, and tooke it, and hasted, and set the citie on fire.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
act
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attack
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troops
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb[edit]
ambush (third-person singular simple present ambushes, present participle ambushing, simple past and past participle ambushed)
- (transitive) To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
- 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 9:
- By ambuſh’d men, behind their Temple laid, / VVe have the King of Mexico betray’d.
- (transitive) To attack by ambush; to waylay.
- 2018 June 17, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 August 2019:
- The contrast with the start was profound. In the opening 40 minutes Löw’s team had been ambushed here, the world champions run into a state of breathless trauma by a thrillingly vibrant Mexico attack.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy
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to attack by ambush; to waylay
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Further reading[edit]
- “ambush”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “ambush”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- English terms derived from Frankish
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æmbʊʃ
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Violence