duel

Noun

1. Arranged, regular combat between two private persons, often over a matter of honor.
2. Historically, the wager of battle (judicial combat).
3. (broadly) Any battle or struggle between two contending persons, forces, groups, or ideas.

Verb

To engage in a battle.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdjuːəl/

Etymology

Cognate with Latin: bellum

In summary

From Medieval Latin duellum (“fight between two men, duel”), itself from Old Latin duellum (“war, fight”), which survived in Classical Latin as a rare byform of bellum and was later reinterpreted as “duel” by unetymological association with duo (“two”).
May have entered English through Middle French duel.

Synonyms

single combat

battle

fight

affaire d’honneur

joust

combat

struggle

strife

scuffle

conflict

warfare

cream

donnybrook

dueling

engagement

fan

fly

✈️

fray

free-for-all

hammer

🔨

hassle

hit

melee

opposition

palpitate

pound

💷

quarrel

retreat

riot

rough-and-tumble

scour

scramble

shoot-out

slam

strike

thrash

thresh

throb

tilt

tussle

wallop

war

whip

fight a duel

shoot out

duelling

rencontre

fight with fists

armed fighting

duello