Battalia
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops or of a naval force, ready for action. obsolete, uncountable
"[…]but we find, by a sad experience, that few questions are well stated; and when they are, they are not consented to; and when they are agreed on by both sides that they are well stated, it is nothing else but a drawing up the armies in battalia with great skill and discipline; the next thing they do is, they thrust their swords into one another's sides."
- 2 An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body of the army, as distinct from the vanguard and rear. countable, obsolete
"Why, our battalia trebles that account"
Example
More examples"[…]but we find, by a sad experience, that few questions are well stated; and when they are, they are not consented to; and when they are agreed on by both sides that they are well stated, it is nothing else but a drawing up the armies in battalia with great skill and discipline; the next thing they do is, they thrust their swords into one another's sides."
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin battālia, variant of battuālia (“military exercises”), from Latin battuō (“to strike, beat”), from Gaulish. Doublet of battle.
Related phrases
More for "battalia"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.