bell

war

Spelled bell, belli · bellum 'war'

Latin bellum means war: belligerent neighbors threaten conflict, bellicose leaders welcome it, and antebellum describes the time before a war.

Words built from it

belligerent — hostile and eager to fight
Latin belligerant-, from belligerare (wage war): bellum (war) + gerere (carry on)
bellicose — inclined to fight or start conflicts
Latin bellicosus: bellum (war) + -osus (full of)
antebellum — relating to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War
Latin ante (before) + bellum (war)
postbellum — relating to the period after a war
Latin post (after) + bellum (war)
rebel — a person who resists or fights against authority
Old French rebelle, from Latin rebellis: re- (again, back) + bellum (war)
rebellion — organized resistance or an uprising against authority
Latin rebellio (renewed warfare), from rebellare: re- (again) + bellare (wage war), from bellum (war)

embellish — From Old French embellir, built on bel (beautiful), from Latin bellus (beautiful), not bellum (war).