Bellum
/ˈbɛl.lum/noun
A Latin noun meaning war or armed conflict.
Did you know?Latin bellum is the source of the English learned prefix bi- in words like bellicose and rebellious through later Romance forms, and it ultimately comes from an ancient root meaning conflict or fight.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰwer- / *gʷel-
“Proposed ancestral roots connected by scholars to fighting or conflict; the exact prehistory is uncertain.”
Latin
Latin
bellum
“War, armed conflict.”
Late Latin
Latin
bellum
“War; used widely in legal, military, and historical writing.”
Old French
Old French
belle
“War; a Romance continuation in learned and inherited forms.”
Middle English
English
rebelle
“One who resists authority; later influenced by French and Latin war-related vocabulary.”
Modern English
English
belligerent
“Hostile, aggressive, or engaged in war.”
Explore more surprising origins