bivouac

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>bivouac</strong> &#149; \BIV-uh-wak\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> to make a temporary encampment under little or no shelter</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> to take shelter often temporarily</p> <p><strong>3 :</strong> to provide temporary quarters for</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The climbers <em>bivouacked</em> under the cliff's ledge.</p> <p>"<em>Bivouacked</em> in the middle of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf—a five-hour flight from the nearest Antarctic station—nothing comes easy. Even though it was the southern summer, geologist James Smith of the British Antarctic Survey endured nearly three months of freezing temperatures, sleeping in a tent, and eating dehydrated food." — Matt Simon, <em>Wired</em>, 15 Feb. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>In his 1841 dictionary, Noah Webster observed <em>bivouac</em> to be a French borrowing having military origins. He defined the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bivouac">noun</a> <em>bivouac</em> as "the guard or watch of a whole army, as in cases of great danger of surprise or attack" and the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bivouac#h2">verb</a> as "to watch or be on guard, as a whole army." The French word is derived from the Low German word <em>biwacht</em>, which translates to "by guard." Germans used the word specifically for a patrol of citizens who assisted the town watch at night. Today, <em>bivouac</em> has less to do with guarding and patrolling than it does with taking shelter.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>