campaign
pronunciation
How to pronounce campaign in British English:
UK [kæmˈpeɪn]
How to pronounce campaign in American English:
US [kæmˈpeɪn]
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- Noun:
- a race between candidates for elective office
- a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
- several related operations aimed at achieving a particular goal (usually within geographical and temporal constraints)
- an overland journey by hunters (especially in Africa)
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- Verb:
- run, stand, or compete for an office or a position
- exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for
- go on a campaign; go off to war
Word Origin
- campaign
- campaign: [17] Ultimately, campaign and champagne are the same word. Both go back to late Latin campānia, a derivative of Latin campus ‘open field’ (source of English camp). This passed into Old French as champagne and into Italian as campagna ‘open country’, and both words have subsequently come to be used as the designation of regions in France and Italy (whence English champagne [17], wine made in the Champagne area of eastern France).The French word was also borrowed into English much earlier, as the now archaic champaign ‘open country’ [14]. Meanwhile, in Italian a particular military application of campagna had arisen: armies disliked fighting in winter because of the bad weather, so they stayed in camp, not emerging to do battle in the open countryside (the campagna) until summer. Hence campagna came to mean ‘military operations’; it was borrowed in to French as campagne, and thence into English.=> camp, champagne
- campaign (n.)
- 1640s, "operation of an army in the field," during a single season, in a particular region, or in a definite enterprise; from French campagne "campaign," literally "open country," from Old French champagne "countryside, open country" (suited to military maneuvers), from Late Latin campania "level country" (source of Italian campagna, Spanish campaña, Portuguese campanha), from Latin campus "a field" (see campus). Old armies spent winters in quarters and took to the "open field" to seek battle in summer. Extension of meaning to "political activity before an election, marked by organized action in influencing the voters" [DAE] is American English, 1809.
- campaign (v.)
- 1701, from campaign (n.). Political sense is from 1801. Related: Campaigned; campaigning.
Example
- 1. This month the campaign turned more personal .
- 2. The group has been preparing its campaign for months .
- 3. This was quickly converted to an e-mail writing campaign .
- 4. Now she is free to campaign in kurdish .
- 5. Most people who campaign on a similar promise fare badly .