Etymology
1. O.E.
camp "contest," from W.Gmc.
*kampo-z, early loan from L.
campus "open field" (see campus), especially "open space for military exercise." Meaning "place where an army lodges temporarily" is 1528, from Fr.
camp, from the same L. source. Transferred to non-military senses 1560. Meaning "body of adherents of a doctrine or cause" is 1871. The verb meaning "to encamp" is from 1543.
Camp-follower first attested 1810.
Camp-meeting is from 1809, usually in reference to Methodists.
2. From Middle English kampe (“battlefield, open space”), from Old English camp (“battle, contest, battlefield, open space”), from Proto-West Germanic *kamp (“open field where military exercises are held, level plain”), from Latin campus (“open field, level plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- (“to bend; crooked”). Reinforced circa 1520 by Middle French can, camp (“place where an army lodges temporarily”), from Old Northern French camp, from the same Latin (whence also French champ from Old French). Cognate with Old High German champf (“battle, struggle”) (German Kampf), Old Norse kapp (“battle”), Old High German hamf (“paralysed, maimed, mutilated”). Doublet of campus and champ.
3. The verb is from Middle English campen, from Old English campian, compian (“to fight, war against”), from Proto-West Germanic *kampōn (“to fight, do battle”), from *kamp (“field, battlefield, battle”), see above. Cognate with Dutch kampen, German kämpfen (“to struggle”), Danish kæmpe, Swedish kämpa. See: Dutch '
kampen', German, old spelling '
kämpfen', Danish '
kæmpe', Swedish '
kämpa'.
Verbs referencing "camp"
Swedish
campa, Irish
campáil.