duelist


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du·el

(do͞o′əl, dyo͞o′-)
n.
1. A prearranged, formal combat between two persons, usually fought to settle a point of honor.
2. A struggle for domination between two contending persons, groups, or ideas.
v. du·eled, du·el·ing, du·els or du·elled or du·el·ling
v.tr.
1. To engage (another) in or as if in formal combat.
2. To oppose actively and forcefully.
v.intr.
To engage in or as if in formal combat.
[Middle English duelle, from Medieval Latin duellum, from Latin, war, archaic variant of bellum.]
du′el·er, du′el·ist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

duelist, duellist

1. a person engaged in a duel.
2. a person skilled at dueling.
See also: Conflict
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. duelist - a person who fights duels
adversary, antagonist, opposer, resister, opponent - someone who offers opposition
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
Another voice, from a man of medium height with clear blue eyes, particularly striking among all these drunken voices by its sober ring, cried from the window: "Come here; part the bets!" This was Dolokhov, an officer of the Semenov regiment, a notorious gambler and duelist, who was living with Anatole.
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"I don't know what you mean, nor do I even desire to know what you mean," replied the cardinal; "but I wish to please you, and see nothing out of the way in giving you what you demand with respect to so infamous a creature--the more so as you tell me this D'Artagnan is a libertine, a duelist, and a traitor."
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After a moment's pause the duelists saluted the umpire respectfully, then one after another the several officials stepped forward, gracefully removed their caps and saluted him also, and returned to their places.
The duelists sat down; a student official stepped forward, examined the wounded head and touched the place with a sponge once or twice; the surgeon came and turned back the hair from the wound-- and revealed a crimson gash two or three inches long, and proceeded to bind an oval piece of leather and a bunch of lint over it; the tally-keeper stepped up and tallied one for the opposition in his book.
Then the duelists took position again; a small stream of blood was flowing down the side of the injured man's head, and over his shoulder and down his body to the floor, but he did not seem to mind this.
These were the duelists returning from the fight; he thought he recognized them, but as he had no desire for white people's company, he stooped down behind the fence until they were out of his way.
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Some wished to fight like duelists, believ- ing it to be correct to stand erect and be, from their feet to their foreheads, a mark.
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Here he heard the occasional shots of the duelists, and choosing the safer and swifter avenue of the forest branches to the uncertain transportation afforded by a half-broken Abyssinian pony, took to the trees.
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The barbaric harness of the duelists lent splendid color to the savage, martial scene.
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They exchanged the glances of duelists. Her plain black frock was buttoned up to her throat.
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In the meantime the girl moved about the room, keeping out of the way of the duelists, and as she did so, Bradley caught a glimpse of her full face and immediately recognized her as the girl of the place of the yellow door.
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Teeka moved from beneath the tree in an effort to keep close to the duelists.
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