# bivouac
## English
### Alternative forms

* bivouack
* biouac, bivoac, bihovac (obsolete)
* bivy, bivvy (shortening)

### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French bivouac (earlier biouac, bivac), from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“reinforcements of guard or town watch”), from bii- + Wacht (“watch, guard”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbɪv.u.æk/, /ˈbɪv.wæk/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -æk

### Noun

bivouac (plural bivouacs)
* An encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering.
** 2014, Patrick Armstrong, The Log of a Snow Survey, →ISBN:Townsend hare inhabit this area, particularly above the cabin, and a skier is likely to have one explode from a tree well and disappear into the whiteness as he skis by. Life is a constant bivouac for them -- they spend days huddled in tree wells during storms -- but I suspect they are as content and warm in their luxurious coats as we are in a cabin.
* Any temporary encampment.
* A temporary shelter constructed generally for a few nights.
** 1977, K.M. Elizabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 63:Behold the Mansion reared by Dædal Jack! See the Malt stored in many a plethoric sack, In the proud cirque of Juan's bivouac!
** September 23, 2005, Boston Globe:The outing begins by Thursday noon, when the recreational vehicles start rumbling into town and their owners set up bivouacs.
* (dated) The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack.
* (zoology) A structure formed by migratory ants out of their own bodies to protect the queen and larvae.

#### Derived terms

* bivouac sack
* bivouac sheet

#### Translations
### Verb

bivouac (third-person singular simple present bivouacs or bivouacks, present participle bivouacing or bivouacking, simple past and past participle bivouacked)
* (transitive, intransitive)To set up camp.
    We'll bivouac here tonight.
** 1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia:They reached the fir wood which had caused them so much trouble while it was still daylight, and bivouacked in a hollow just above it. It was tedious gathering the fire wood; […]
* (intransitive) To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole army.
* (intransitive) To encamp for the night without tents or covering.

#### Derived terms

* bivouacer

#### Translations
## French
### Alternative forms

* bivac, bivoie, biouac

### Etymology

From earlier bivoie, biouac, bivac, from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“a patrol of citizens added - in time of alarm or commotion - to the regular town watch”), from bii- (“by-”) + Wacht (“watch, guard”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bi.vwak/

### Noun

bivouac m (plural bivouacs)
* bivouac (encampment for the night)

#### Derived terms

* bivouaquer

#### Descendants

* → Bulgarian: бивак (bivak)
* → Czech: bivak
* → Danish: bivuak
* → Dutch: bivak
* → English: bivouac, bivouack, biouac, bivoac, bihovac (obsolete), bivy, bivvy (shortening)
* → German: Biwak
* → Galician: bivaque
* → Hungarian: bivak
* → Italian: bivacco
* → Japanese: ビバーク (bibāku)
* → Macedonian: бивак (bivak)
* → Polish: biwak
* → Portuguese: bivaque
* → Russian: бивак (bivak), бивуак (bivuak)
* → Slovak: bivak
* → Slovene: bivak
* → Spanish: vivac, vivaque
* → Swedish: bivack

### Further reading

* “bivouac”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.