Bushwhack
/ˈbʊʃˌwæk/noun
To travel or force a way through dense bushes or rough country, especially on foot; also, to ambush someone.
Did you know?The modern sense of bushwhack grew out of frontier American English, where hiding in the brush to attack someone made the word feel like an action scene turned into a verb.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
busc
“A shrub or bush.”
Old English
OE
wacian
“To watch, be awake.”
18th–19th Century
English
bushwhack
“To attack or harass from cover in the bushes; to force a path through dense brush.”
19th Century
English
bushwhacker
“A person who lurks in the bushes to ambush others; later, someone who travels through rough country.”
Modern English
English
bushwhack
“To make one's way with difficulty through dense vegetation, or to ambush someone.”