# bellicose

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈbɛlɪkoʊs/ · frequency rank #68,038

## Definitions
1. Warlike in nature; aggressive; hostile.
2. Showing or having the impulse to be combative.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Old Latin duellum
Latin bellum
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Italic *-kos
Latin -cus
Latin -icus
Latin bellicusder.
Latin bellicum signumclip.?
Latin bellicum
Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-der.
Proto-Indo-European *-h₃d-s-o-?
Latin -ōsus
Latin bellicosusder.
Middle English bellicose
English bellicose
From Middle English bellicose, from Latin bellicosus.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bellicose