Where does “skirmish” come from?
Skirmish comes from Old French escarmouche, from Italian scaramuccia, from Italian schermugio, from Proto-West Germanic -jan, from Proto-Germanic skirmiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- and sek-, meaning to cut or separate.
skirmish (English): A brief battle between small groups, usually part...
Definitions
- A brief battle between small groups, usually part...
Ancestry of “skirmish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | escarmouche | skirmish |
| 2 | Italian | scaramuccia | skirmish; squabble; third-person singular present... |
| 3 | Italian | schermugio | — |