[Ads-l] belligerent, n. = 'military adversary'

[Jonathan Lighter]

But that's not the meaning intended here.

Acc. to MW and long-established usage, *all* sides in a war are
"belligerents," not just the enemy.

JL

On Fri, May 12, 2017 at 11:04 AM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:

> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belligerent
>
> 2 belligerent
> noun bel·lig·er·ent
> Legal Definition of belligerent
>
>     : a belligerent nation, state, or person
>
>
>
> https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=belligerent
>
> bel·lig·er·ent (bə-lĭjər-ənt)* [Wow, I wonder what they were using for a
> stress mark! Or rather, why they were using it.]*
>
> adj.
> ...
> n.
> One that is hostile or aggressive, especially one that is engaged in war
>
>
> Mark
>
>
> On May 11, 2017 10:51 AM, "Jonathan Lighter" wrote:
>
> > Not in OED.
> >
> > Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, Director DIA, testifies that  without more
> > assets the stalemate in Afghanistan "will deteriorate in the favor of the
> > belligerents."
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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