campaign

Where does the word "campaign" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin campania, passing through French before entering English (1640s).

Campaign’s story begins in Medieval Latin: campania meant “open country.” Open country, flat farmland, from campus (a field). By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as campagne. Narrowed in French to describe an army's operations conducted in open country. It reached English by 1640s as campaign. Broadened from military operations to any organized effort toward a goal. Today, campaign means an organized course of action to achieve a political, military, or commercial goal.

1. Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval campania "open country", open country, flat farmland, from campus (a field).
2. Stage 2 · French · 1600s campagne "a military operation in open country", narrowed in French to describe an army's operations conducted in open country.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1640s campaign "an organized effort to achieve a particular goal", broadened from military operations to any organized effort toward a goal.