Pronounced: sa-KAHD, noun
Notes: Totally known word to me
Yesterday’s word
The word bivouac, as a noun, means “a temporary encampment in the open air, usually without tents or cover”. As a verb, it means “to take shelter temporarily for the night”.
First usage
The noun came into English in the early 1700s; the verb came into English around a hundred years later in the early 1800s.
Background / Comments
I had not been aware of the importance of “temporary” in the definitions above. Our word came from the French word bivouac, which came from the Swiss German beiwacht (supplementary night watch), which is made up of bei- (beside) and Wacht (watch).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 