What is the Latin word for battle?

The usual Latin words for “battle” are pugna, aciēs, proelium. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“battle” in Latin

pugnaa fight, battle, combat, action; a line of battle, troops drawn up for battle; a contest, dispute, quarrel aciēssharp edge or point; battle line; battle, engagement proeliuma battle, combat, conflict; warriors taken collectively; a contest, strife

The English word battle itself goes back to Latin battuō, through battālia.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

battle

pugna (any conflict, from a single combat to the bloodiest pitched battle; like μαχή): acies (the conflict of two contending armies drawn up in battle array): proelium (the occasional rencounter of separate divisions of the armies, as an engagement, action, skirmish; like συμβολή). Wearied by the length of the battle, they withdrew from the engagement, diuturnitatepugnae defessi proelio excesserunt: a sharp battle is fought, fit proelium acri certamine: a battle more like the encounter of banditti than a military engagement, pugna latrocinio magis quam proelio similis: the battle was long and well contested, pugnatum est diu atque acriter: to go into battle, in proelium ire; in proelium or aciem prodire; in aciem or certamendescendere: to lead an army to battle, exercitum in aciem educere: to lead to battle 100,000 foot, in aciem centum millia peditum producere: to offer battle, productis copiis pugnandi potestatem facere: to join battle, proelium committere; manum conserere: to renew the battle, pugnam novam integrare; proelium redintegrare or renovare: to win the battle, proelio or pugna superiorem discedere; victorem proelio excedere: to lose the battle, pugna or proelio inferiorem discedere; proelio vinci or superari.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for battle?: The usual Latin words for “battle” are pugna, aciēs, proelium. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.