warpath

English

Etymology

From war +‎ path.

Noun

warpath (plural warpaths)

1. (historical) The route taken by a party of Native Americans going on a warlike expedition.
   • 1856, Henry R. Schoolcraft, The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral Legends:

     He went often to visit the spot where the women had buried her, and sat musing there, when, it was thought, by some of his friends, he would have done better to try to amuse himself in the chase, or by diverting his thoughts in the war-path.

2. (figurative) A course of action that leads to battle or hostility.

Usage notes

This word is most often used in the phrase “on the warpath”.

Translations

course of action that leads to hostility

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 出征路途 (chūzhēng lùtú), 敵對行動／敌对行动 (díduì xíngdòng)

• Czech: válečná stezka f
• Danish: krigssti c
• Finnish: sotapolku, sotajalka
• French: sentier de la guerre m
• German: Kriegspfad (de) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: krigssti m

  Nynorsk: krigssti m, krigsstig m

• Russian: тропа́ войны́ f (tropá vojný)
• Serbo-Croatian: ратна стаза f, ratna staza f
• Swedish: krigsstig c