duel
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duel
- /ˈˈd͡ʒuːəl/ UK
- /ˈdjuːəl/ UK
- /ˈdul/ US
- /ˈd(j)u.əl/ US
Sounds like dual, jewel (yod-coalescence) · Rhymes with -uːəl, -ʊəl
Where it comes from
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.
noun duels
- Arranged, regular combat between two private persons, often over a matter of honor. I have often thought since, how different my fate might have been, had I not fallen in love with Nora at that early age; and had I not flung the wine in Quin’s face, and so brought on the duel.
- Historically, the wager of battle (judicial combat).
- Any battle or struggle between two contending persons, forces, groups, or ideas. a sniper duel
verb duels · dueling · duelling · dueled · duelled
- To engage in a battle. The two dogs were duelling for the bone.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: showdown, fight, gunfight, shootout, challenge, contest, meeting, grief, premium, bonus, mourning, sorrow, differential, match, dual, double
Translations
Every language
noun combat between two persons
| Español | duelo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 결투 gyeoltu |
| 日本語 | 決闘 kettō, デュエル dyueru |
| 中文 | 決鬥 /决斗 juédòu |
| हिन्दी | द्वंद्वयुद्ध dvandvayuddh |
| Português | duelo |
| Français | duel |
| Deutsch | Duell, Zweikampf |
| Italiano | duello, singolar tenzone |
| Ελληνικά | μονομαχία monomachía |
| Русский | дуэ́ль duélʹ, поеди́нок pojedínok, двобой dvoboj |
| Tiếng Việt | quyết đấu, đấu tay đôi |
| العربية | مُبَارَزَة mubāraza |
| עברית | דּוּ קְרָב dú qrav |
noun struggle between two parties
| Español | duelo |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | द्वंद्वयुद्ध dvandvayuddh |
| Português | duelo |
| Français | duel |
| Deutsch | Duell, Zweikampf |
| Italiano | duello |
| Ελληνικά | διαμάχη diamáchi |
| Русский | поеди́нок pojedínok, единобо́рство jedinobórstvo |
verb engage in a duel
| Español | combatir en duelo, batirse, duelear |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 決鬥 /决斗 juédòu |
| Português | duelar |
| Français | croiser le fer |
| Deutsch | duellieren |
| Italiano | duellare |
| Русский | дра́ться на дуэ́ли drátʹsja na duéli |
| Tiếng Việt | quyết đấu |
Talk about this word "duel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/duel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. duel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/duel "duel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/duel.Cite this
@misc{duel_2026,
title = {duel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/duel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
