Definition of

Combat

Kickboxing

Combat sports are based on physical confrontation between two competitors.

Combat is a fight or confrontation . It can involve two or more people, although there are also fights between animals. In a broader sense, combat is called warlike actions where military forces intervene. In these cases, the combat will involve thousands of people using different types of weapons .

Establishing the etymological origin of the term takes us to Latin. Specifically, it seems to come from the Latin word battuare, which can be translated as " hit ."

Combat, therefore, is a term that, on many occasions, can be used as a synonym for war , fight or battle . This allows you to mention anything from a boxing fight ( “Mike Tyson plans to have one last fight to end his career” ) to a confrontation between two countries ( “US forces are still in combat with Iraqi forces” ).

Boxing match

Within the field of boxing we find the fact that throughout history there have been fights that are currently considered mythical, either because of the opponents they faced or because of their results.

This would be the case, for example, of the fight that brought Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson face to face in 1965 . By KO in the 12th round, the first one, formerly known as Cassius Clay , won, and in this way defended his belt.

War

A combat can be a warlike action.

The term in the military field

For its part, within the war and military field we find a long list of terms that use the word that we are now analyzing as part of them. This would be the case, for example, of a battle tank that is used to refer to the armored war vehicle that is characterized by the fact that it is capable of moving over rough and steep terrain thanks to the fact that it has a flexible chain. Therefore, we could say that a means of transportation of this type is the tank .

And all this without forgetting that there is also the combat rifle , which is that weapon that was used within armies years ago since it has now been replaced by the assault rifle. That one was characterized because it was the most optimal for carrying out shots at more than six hundred meters.

Other uses of the notion of combat

The notion also has a more figurative meaning, like a contradiction or struggle , or an internal battle of the soul : “I don't know what is best for me, I have a battle of thoughts in my head,” “My daughter is experiencing a battle of thoughts .” passions to decide what they will do in their future.”

On the other hand, it should be noted that the concept of being knocked out refers to someone who, in one way or another, has been defeated and can no longer continue the fight . This phrase is used both to refer to a physical combat ( “With a direct blow to the head, the German knocked out his opponent” ) and to an emotional one ( “His words knocked me out and I no longer knew what to say” ).

It could be said that an antonym of combat is peace , especially when the term refers to a war conflict.