bivouac en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɪv.u.æk/
- (US) audio
- /ˈbɪv.wæk/
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French bivouac (earlier biouac, bivac), from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“reinforcements of guard or town watch”), from bii- + Wacht (“watch, guard”).
Meanings
-
An encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering.
Townsend hare inhabit this area, particularly above the cabin, and a skier is likely to have one explode from a tree well and disappear into the whiteness as he skis by. Life is a constant bivouac for them -- they spend days huddled in tree wells during storms -- but I suspect they are as content and warm in their luxurious coats as we are in a cabin.
2014, Patrick Armstrong, The Log of a Snow Survey, →ISBN:
- Any temporary encampment.
-
A temporary shelter constructed generally for a few nights.
The outing begins by Thursday noon, when the recreational vehicles start rumbling into town and their owners set up bivouacs.
September 23, 2005, Boston Globe:Behold the Mansion reared by Dædal Jack! See the Malt stored in many a plethoric sack, In the proud cirque of Juan's bivouac!
1977, K.M. Elizabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 63:
- (dated) The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack.
-
A structure formed by migratory ants out of their own bodies to protect the queen and larvae.
Army ants (genus Eciton) migrating and gathering in a bivouac.
2026 July 8, “Observe an Eciton army ant colony migrating by night and forming a bivouac nest entirely out of themselves”, in Britannica:High in the rafters, a bivouac of ants swayed uneasily in the draught created by the shutting of the heavy, old, wooden door.
2022, Ian D. Hall, Underneath, Beaten Track Publishing:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bivvy | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bihovac | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| bivoac | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| bivouack | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bivouacs | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| biouac | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| bivy | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (37)
mi tīhokahoka (temporary shelter for a few nights) · ca bivac (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · pl biwak (temporary shelter for a few nights) · bg бива́к (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · es vivac (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · fi leiri (any temporary encampment) · gl bivaque (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · fi leiri (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · tr açık ordugâh (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · da bivuak (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · sv bivack (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ro bivuac (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · it bivacco (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ja ビバーク (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · fr bivouac (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · mi māhauhau (temporary shelter for a few nights) · mi māhauhau (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · es vivaque (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · nl bivak (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · eo bivako (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · pl biwak (any temporary encampment) · mi tīhokahoka (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · pt bivaque (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ja 露営 (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · uk бівуа́к (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ru бива́к (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · mi pōrukuruku (temporary shelter for a few nights) · uk біва́к (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · cmn 露宿 (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · cs bivak (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · pl biwak (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · de Biwak (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · fi majoite (temporary shelter for a few nights) · cmn 野營 /野营 (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ru ла́герь (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · ru бивуа́к (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering) · cmn 露營 /露营 (encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering)