What does encamp mean?
To encamp is to set up a temporary camp, most commonly of soldiers establishing a position in the field, though the word also suits travelers, explorers, or any group pitching tents for the night. Used almost always intransitively — an army encamps outside a city, hikers encamp beside a river — it carries a slightly formal, historical flavor compared with the plain verb 'camp', evoking military campaigns, chronicles, and expeditions. Its derivatives include the noun 'encampment', meaning a camp or the act of encamping. The word's history is fittingly martial: it derives from 'camp', borrowed from French champ, ultimately from Latin campus, meaning an open field. Since Roman legions literally made their camps in open fields, encamp preserves that ancient association between open ground and military settlement. The related verb 'decamp' — to break camp and leave — forms its natural opposite, and the shared root also surfaces in 'campaign' and 'champion', making encamp part of a remarkably old and productive family of field-and-battle words.
verbTo set up a temporary camp, especially of soldiers or travelers settling in a place for a short time.
- (of soldiers or travelers) to establish a temporary camp in a place
- (figuratively or loosely) to settle or lodge temporarily somewhere
"The troops encamped on the hillside overlooking the valley."
"The regiment encamped on the plain below the fortress walls."
"Hikers encamped by the lake as dusk began to fall."
Every 'campaign' you've ever heard of carries the same Latin root as encamp — both trace back to campus, an open field where Roman armies pitched their tents.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of encamp
Encamp was formed in English in the 16th century from the prefix 'en-' plus 'camp', which itself came into Middle English from French camp (champ), ultimately from Latin campus, meaning an open field or plain. The same Latin root gave rise to 'campaign', originally a period an army spent in the field, and 'champion'. Its counterpart 'decamp', formed later, means to break camp and depart.
Related word forms
How encamp is actually used
Encamp is chiefly used of military forces, though it can describe any group pitching tents or camping temporarily. It sounds somewhat formal or historical compared with the everyday verb 'camp', and it is almost always used intransitively (troops encamped somewhere), often in past-tense narrative accounts of battles and expeditions.
Easily confused with encamp
Encamp means to set up camp and stay put, while decamp means to break camp and leave abruptly.