different between skirmish vs contend

English

Alternative forms

• scirmish

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?sk??m??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sk?m??/
• Hyphenation: skir?mish

Noun

skirmish (plural skirmishes)

1. (military) A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.
2. (figuratively, by extension) Any minor dispute.

3. A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fight
• See also Thesaurus:dispute

Related terms

• screen

Translations

Verb

skirmish (third-person singular simple present skirmishes, present participle skirmishing, simple past and past participle skirmished)

1. To engage in a minor battle or dispute

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English contenden, borrowed from Old French contendre, from Latin contendere (“to stretch out, extend, strive after, contend”), from com- (“together”) + tendere (“to stretch”); see tend, and compare attend, extend, intend, subtend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?t?nd/
• Rhymes: -?nd

Verb

contend (third-person singular simple present contends, present participle contending, simple past and past participle contended)

1. To strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
   • 1611, King James Version, Deuteronomy ii. 9

     The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle.
2. To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend.
   • 17th century, John Dryden, Epistle III to the Lady Castlemain

     You sit above, and see vain men below / Contend for what you only can bestow.

3. To strive in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue.

   • these simple ideas are far from those innate principles which some contend for

   • 1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety

     many of those things he so fiercely contended about , were either falle or trivial

4. To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate.

   In this paper the author contends that no useful results can be obtained if this method is used.

Synonyms

• (strive in opposition): fight, combat, vie, oppose
• (struggle): struggle, strive, emulate (rare)
• (strive in debate): contest, litigate, dispute, debate
• (believe and argue): assert, aver

Related terms

• contender
• contention
• contentious

Translations

Further reading

• contend in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• contend in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.