English → Latin
“duel” in Latin
singulārissingular, unique, unusual; alone, single, solitary; nonpareil, peerless, unequalled. unmatched, exceptionalcertāmenA contest, race, struggle, strife.; A battle, engagement, combat.; An object contended for, prize.
The English word duel itself goes back to Latin bellum, through duellum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
duel v.
ex provocatione dimicare (Plin., 8, 42, 64, § 156): in certamen (singulare) cum aliquo descendere: certamen (singulare) cum aliquo inire: ferro cum aliquo decernere (if with the sword).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for duel?
- The usual Latin words for “duel” are singulāris, certāmen. 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.