Etymology Dictionary

CAMP,  the ground occupied by an army; the army itself.  (F.,—L.)   Common in Shakespeare.   Also used as a verb; All's Well, iii. 4. 14; and in the Bible of 1561, Exod. xix. 2.   The proper sense is 'the field' which is occupied by the army; as in 'the gate of the camp was open;' North's Plutarch, Life of M. Brutus; see Shakespeare's Plutarch, ed. Skeat, p. 147; cf. Antony and Cleopatra, iv. 8. 33.   [Perhaps taken directly from Latin.]—F. camp, 'a camp; an hoast, or army lodged; a field;' Cot.—Lat. campus, a field. + Gk. κῆπος, a garden.   And probably further related to G. hof, a yard, court; see Curtius, i. 183; Fick, i. 519.   Der. camp, verb, en-camp-ment, camp-estr-al, q.v., camp-aign, q.v.   ¶ It is remarkable that camp in Middle-English never has the modern sense, but is only used in the sense of 'fight' or 'battle.'   Cf. 'alle the kene mene [men] of kampe,' i.e. all the keen fighting-men; Allit. Morte Arthure, 3702; cf. l. 3671.   And see Layamon, i. 180, 185, 336; ii. 162.   This is the A.S. camp, a battle; camp-sted, a battle-ground.   Allied words are the Du., Dan. and Swed. kamp, Icel. kapp, G. kampf, all signifying 'battle.'   Notwithstanding the wide spread of the word in this sense, it is certainly non-Teutonic, and due, originally, to Lat. campus, in Low Lat. 'a battle.'   See also Champion, and Campaign.