Etymology: Probably originally (i) < post-classical Latin duellum fight between two combatants (see below); subsequently partly (ii) < Middle French, French duel regulated fight between two people (1571 or earlier; 1556 as †duelle ), confrontation or contest between two people or parties (1591 in the passage translated in quot. 1605 at sense 2a, or earlier), practice of duelling (1608 in the passage translated in quot. 1612 at sense 2b, or earlier), and partly (iii) < Italian duello armed combat (early 14th cent.), confrontation, contest (a1400), regulated fight between two people (1513), all < classical Latin duellum , older variant (see note) of classical Latin bellum war, warfare, fighting, battle, contest, struggle, military force, of unknown origin. Compare Catalan duel (15th cent.), Spanish duelo (a1456; rare before 17th cent.); also Dutch duel (second half of the 16th cent.), German Duell (end of the 16th cent., in early use often with Latin inflectional endings). Compare duellum n.The Latin form duellum is well attested in ancient inscriptions and retained in classical Latin literature in archaic language and in poetry; in post-classical Latin it is also used specifically to denote a fight between two combatants (11th cent.; frequently from 12th cent. in British sources). This specific use was probably influenced by duo two (see duo n.). For earlier association of the two words compare Isidore (a636): ‘Bellum antea duellum vocatum, eo quod sunt duae dimicantium partes, vel quod alterum faciat victorem et alterum victum’ (‘Bellum was formerly called duellum, because there are two conflicting parts, or because one makes the victor and the other the vanquished’).

Etymology: < duel n. Compare post-classical Latin duellare (6th cent.), Italian duellare (1559), German duellieren (1621), all in sense ‘to participate in a duel’. Compare earlier dueller n., duelling n.