A Rebel Renews a War That Was Already Over
A rebel resists established authority. The Latin behind the word describes fighting again after defeat.
A rebel is someone who resists established authority. Latin *rebellis* is precise about the situation: *re-* again plus *bellum*, war. A rebel was originally not just anyone fighting a ruler, but a defeated enemy who took up arms a second time after submitting. The word carries a broken agreement inside it. Note the stress: the noun is REB-el, the verb is re-BEL, one of many English noun-verb pairs that shift emphasis.
- One who resists authority. *A rebel leader.*
- To resist. *They rebelled.*
- Rebellion — the act. *A rebellion.*
- Rebellious — the adjective. *Rebellious.*
- Latin — *bellum*, war. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | rebel | A rebel. |
| Verb | rebel | They rebel. |
| Past | rebelled | Rebelled. |
| Noun | rebellion | Rebellion. |
| Latin | bellum | War. |
- The rebels held the northern towns.Noun.
- The province rebelled in spring.Verb.
- Rebellis means to make war again.Etymology.
The bellum family
- Rebel — one who makes war again
- Belligerent — waging war, hence aggressive
- Bellicose — inclined to fight
- Antebellum — before the war
- Duel — from an old Latin form of *bellum*
Old French *rebelle*, from Latin *rebellis*, one who renews war, from *re-*, again, plus *bellum*, war.
Why does rebel contain again?
Because a rebellis in Latin was a defeated enemy who took up arms a second time after having submitted.
Why do rebel's two forms sound different?
English often stresses the first syllable of a noun and the second of the matching verb, as in record, permit and conflict.