Essential Word Roots: Fighting Words: Belli and Milit

White leaders—former planters—were clearly fighting to regain their antebellum positions of political and economic privilege. The Best of Enemies

And when he gets angry and impassioned, he turns bellicose. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers

“And you need leaders, whether individuals or entities, that stand for peaceful approaches, as opposed to resorting to belligerence.” New York Times

The Little Rock School Board now demanded belligerent students be brought under control. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High

“Why?” she demanded belligerently, her mouth curling suddenly into a vehement sneer and her eyes flashing with anger. Catch-22

The question is, how can antagonistic nations demilitarize safely, without raising the risk of preemptive attacks? Scientific American

Some suffragists favored more militancy, arguing that silence was a sign of weakness, not strength. Votes for Women!

I have always favored a more active, militant style of protest such as work strikes, go-slow strikes, or refusing to clean up; actions that punished the authorities, not ourselves. Long Walk to Freedom

These settler-soldiers perfected an approach to warfare that formed the basis of US militarism into the twenty-first century. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States

The Mycenaeans were more militaristic, with art replete with spears and images of war, whereas Minoan art showed few signs of warfare, Lazaridis says. Science

The depth of the militarization of this country and the harshness of its wars abroad were concealed by converting death into something sacred. Salon

He thought for a moment of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” but decided it wasn’t a good idea to invoke the military. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

So through a complicated, haphazard, and constantly readjusted web of economic, social, and moral incentives, modern society does its best to militate against crime. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

The local militia and Federal troops were called in to quell this unplanned and unrehearsed insurrection. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Whenever possible, the teenagers also held the prestigious Hitler Youth Achievement Medal, earned for outstanding performance during their paramilitary training days. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

This was not the same as the war that was going on now, between the rebels and the government. A Long Walk to Water

He had just come back from England, where his father King Ban of Benwick had been helping the English King to quell a rebellion. The Once and Future King

They’re all rebellious now, they always have something bad to say to other kids, they all want to fight. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago