skirmish Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a minor short-term fight
    encounter; brush; clash.
  2. verb engage in a skirmish

WordNet

Skir"mish intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. skirmishen, scarmishen, OF. escremir, eskermir, to fence, fight, F. escrimer, of German origin; cf. OHG. scirmen to protect, defend, G. schirmen, OHG. scirm, scerm, protection, shield, G. schirm; perhaps akin to Gr. a sunshade. Cf. Scaramouch, Scrimmage.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Skirmished ; present participle & verbal noun Skirmishing
Definitions
  1. To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish or skirmishes; to act as skirmishers.
Skir"mish noun
Etymology
OE. scarmishe, scrymishe. See Skirmish, v. i.
Definitions
  1. A slight fight in war; a light or desultory combat between detachments from armies, or between detached and small bodies of troops.
  2. A slight contest.
    They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit. Shak.

Webster 1913