camp

n. [ F. camp, It. campo, fr. L. campus plant, field; akin to Gr. kh^pos garden. Cf. Campaign, Champ, n. ] 1. The ground or spot on which tents, huts, etc., are erected for shelter, as for an army or for lumbermen, etc. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A collection of tents, huts, etc., for shelter, commonly arranged in an orderly manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forming a camp in the neighborhood of Boston. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A single hut or shelter; as, a hunter's camp. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The company or body of persons encamped, as of soldiers, of surveyors, of lumbermen, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The camp broke up with the confusion of a flight. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Agric.) A mound of earth in which potatoes and other vegetables are stored for protection against frost; -- called also burrow and pie. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. [ Cf. OE. & AS. camp contest, battle. See champion. ] An ancient game of football, played in some parts of England. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Camp bedstead, a light bedstead that can be folded up onto a small space for easy transportation. --
camp ceiling (Arch.), a kind ceiling often used in attics or garrets, in which the side walls are inclined inward at the top, following the slope of the rafters, to meet the plane surface of the upper ceiling. --
Camp chair, a light chair that can be folded up compactly for easy transportation; the seat and back are often made of strips or pieces of carpet. --
Camp fever, typhus fever. --
Camp follower, a civilian accompanying an army, as a sutler, servant, etc. --
Camp meeting, a religious gathering for open-air preaching, held in some retired spot, chiefly by Methodists. It usually last for several days, during which those present lodge in tents, temporary houses, or cottages. --
Camp stool, the same as camp chair, except that the stool has no back. --
Flying camp (Mil.), a camp or body of troops formed for rapid motion from one place to another. Farrow. --
To pitch (a) camp, to set up the tents or huts of a camp. --
To strike camp, to take down the tents or huts of a camp. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Camped p. pr. & vb. n. Camping. ] To afford rest or lodging for, as an army or travelers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. See Campaign. ] An open level tract of country; especially “Campagna di Roma.” The extensive undulating plain which surrounds Rome. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Its length is commonly stated to be about ninety miles, and its breadth from twenty-seven to forty miles. The ground is almost entirely volcanic, and vapors which arise from the district produce malaria. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. , fr. campagne field. ] (Zool.) A mouse (Arvicala agrestis), called also meadow mouse, which often does great damage in fields and gardens, by feeding on roots and seeds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. campagne, It. campagna, fr. L. Campania the level country about Naples, fr. campus field. See Camp, and cf. Champaign, Champagne. ] 1. An open field; a large, open plain without considerable hills. SeeChampaign. Grath. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mil.) A connected series of military operations forming a distinct stage in a war; the time during which an army keeps the field. Wilhelm. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Political operations preceding an election, by candidates, their assistants, and supporters, for the purpose of convincing voters to vote for the candidate. It usually consists of one or more methods of contacting voters including advertising, distribution or mailing of printed leaflets or letters; speeches, interviews with news media, and door-to-door visits with potential voters. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

4. Hence: Any coordinated effort to contact potential supporters or customers and solicit their support or patronage; as, an advertising campaign. [ PJC ]

5. (Metal.) The period during which a blast furnace is continuously in operation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To serve in a campaign. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who has served in an army in several campaigns; an old soldier; a veteran. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. one who is campaigning, especially a politician running for elective office, or one of his/her supporters. [ PJC ]

n. The campaign of a candidate to be elected.
Syn. -- candidacy, candidature, electioneering, political campaign. [ WordNet 1.5 ]