- skirmish (n.)
- c.1300, from Old French escarmouche "skirmish," from Italian scaramuccia, probably from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German skirmen "to protect, defend"), influenced in Middle English by a separate verb skirmysshen "to brandish a weapon," from Old French eskirmiss-, stem of eskirmir "to fence," from Frankish *skirmjan, from the same Germanic source. Cf. also scrimmage.
- skirmish (v.)
- late 15c., from skirmish (n.). Related: Skirmished; skirmishing.