camp-out
UK[ˈkæmp aʊt]US[ˈkæmp aʊt]
n
an occasion when people sleep outside in tents or other temporary shelters, especially for enjoyment
n
an act of staying in a place, especially a public one, for a long time, often as a form of protest
Morpheme Breakdown
camp
out
camp
temporary shelter
out
outside, outdoors
Etymology
The word is a modern English compound noun formed from two native elements. The first element, "camp," traces back to the Latin campus, meaning a flat field or open ground, which entered English via military terminology for a place where an army lodges temporarily. The second element, "out," is a fundamental Old English adverb meaning "outside" or "in the open air." The compound "camp-out" logically combines these ideas to denote the activity of establishing a temporary shelter or lodging in the outdoors. Its meaning evolved from the basic concept of military bivouacking to encompass recreational outdoor sleeping and, by metaphorical extension, prolonged occupation of a space for protest, emphasizing the temporary and exposed nature of the stay.
Analysis
Structure: camp (temporary shelter) + out (outside, outdoors)
- camp: From Latin campus (field, open space), via French camp. In this compound, it functions as the core noun denoting a temporary lodging site.
- out: From Old English ūt (out, outside, away). In this compound, it functions as an adverbial particle specifying the location or nature of the activity.
Examples
The kids are excited for their first camp-out in the backyard.
The environmental activists organized a camp-out in front of the government building.
We planned a weekend camp-out by the lake to go fishing and stargazing.