Combat

Combat
"Fight" and "Fighting" redirect here. For other uses, see Fight (disambiguation).
For other uses of "Combat", see Combat (disambiguation).

Warfare
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Combat naval de Iquique del 21 mai 1879 - oil on canvas painting by Thomas Somerscales , 19th century

Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed.

The term combat (French for fight) typically refers to armed conflict between military forces in warfare, whereas the more general term "fighting" can refer to any violent conflict between individuals or nations. Combat violence can be unilateral, whereas fighting implies at least a defensive reaction. However, the terms are often used synonymously along with the term "Battle Ready". A large-scale fight is known as a battle.

Combat may take place under a certain set of rules or be unregulated. Examples of rules include the Geneva Conventions (covering the treatment of soldiers in war), medieval Chivalry, the Marquess of Queensberry rules (covering boxing) and several forms of combat sports.

Combat in warfare involves two or more opposing military organizations, usually fighting for nations at war (although guerrilla warfare and suppression of insurgencies can fall outside this definition). Warfare falls under the laws of war, which govern its purposes and conduct, and protect the rights of soldiers and non-combatants.

Combat may be armed (using weapons), or unarmed (not using weapons). Hand-to-hand combat (melee) is combat at very close range, attacking the opponent with the body (striking, kicking, strangling, etc.) and/or with a melee weapon (knives, swords, batons, etc.), as opposed to a ranged weapon.

Hand-to-hand combat can be further divided into three sections depending on the distance and positioning of the combatants:

Verbal combat

Certain speech act structures related to verbal and also physical exchanges are extant in ancient times as well as today.[1] Fixed speech act patterns employed in a verbal exchange are a phenomenon found in historical and modern texts alike. Although conventions change over time and from one culture to the other, ritualised exchanges seem to be part of the basic inventory of language usage, and so it is quite common to find similarities between the way individuals from various cultures engage in a verbal duel. Verbal combat may result in physical combat after a certain extent.

References

  • Martin van Creveld: The Changing Face of War: Lessons of Combat, from the Marne to Turkey. Maine, New England 2007.
  1. ^ Vienna English Working Papers, Vol. 16 issue #1, 2007

Further reading


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  • combat — [ kɔ̃ba ] n. m. • 1538; de combattre 1 ♦ Action de deux ou de plusieurs adversaires armés, de deux armées qui se battent. ⇒ bataille. Spécialt Phase d une bataille. ⇒ 1. action, affrontement, choc, engagement, mêlée, 1. rencontre; baroud. Combat… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • combat — COMBAT. subs. masc. L action par laquelle on attaque, ou l on se défend. Combat d homme à homme. Combat singulier. Combat d une armée contre une autre armée. Combat douteux. Combat à outrance. Combat opiniâtre. Combat sanglant. Combat sur terre.… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • combat — Combat, m. acut. C est la meslée en bataille, de deux ou plusieurs, Certamen, Decertatio, Dimicatio, Discrimen, Praelium, Pugna, Conflictus, Selon ce on dit, Le combat a esté cruel, furieux, merveilleux entre les deux armées, Acriter admodum… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • combat — Combat. s. m. L action par laquelle on combat contre quelqu un. Combat d homme à homme. combat singulier. combat d une armée contre une autre armée. combat douteux. combat à outrance. combat opiniastré. combat sanglant. combat sur terre. combat… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Combat 18 — Logo derived from the Totenkopf used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division of the Waffen SS. Motto Whatever it takes Formation 1992 Type …   Wikipedia

  • Combat 18 — Lema Cueste lo que cueste Tipo Nacionalismo Blanco, Supremacía blanca Objetivos Formación paramilitar que pretende levantar un gobierno bajo la estructura del nacional socialismo. Combat 18 o C 18 es una organización de tendencia n …   Wikipedia Español

  • Combat 84 — ist eine Band aus der britischen Oi! Szene und stammt aus dem Londoner Stadtteil Chelsea. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte 2 Politik 3 Diskografie 4 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Combat — (französisch Kampf ) steht für: Combat (Résistance), französische Résistance Gruppe Combat (Zeitung), französische Zeitung Combat Spirituel, afrikanische Pfingstkirche Combat 18, Terrororganisation Combat 84, britische Band Siehe auch: Ace Combat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Combat — Com bat, n. [Cf. F. combat.] 1. A fight; a contest of violence; a struggle for supremacy. [1913 Webster] My courage try by combat, if thou dar st. Shak. [1913 Webster] The noble combat that twixt joy and sorrow was fought in Paulina. Shak. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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