arch. or Obs. Forms: 7– battalia; also 7 batalia -allia -alio, battailia, -alio, -aglio. [late 16th century a. It. battaglia or ? Sp. batalla (in same sense). The forms battaglio, -alio, etc., are examples of a tendency then common to turn It. and Sp. final -a into -o; see -ADO 2. Cf. BATTLE, of which this is a doublet.]
1. Mil. Order of battle, battle array; disposition or arrangement of troops (or naval forces) for action. (Usually with prep. in, into.)
1613. Chapman, Bussy d’Amb., Plays, 1873, II. 138. I haue made all his Troopes and Companies Aduance, and put themselues randg’d in Battailia.
1629. J. Maxwell, trans. Herodian, VI. 79. Hauing marcht in Battalia ouer all the Plaine, they came to a City of Italy called Ema.
1645. Slingsby, Diary (1836), 137. They had drawn out in Battalio upon ye side of Nasby hill.
1650. R. Stapylton, Strada’s Low-C. Warres, IX. 46. The ships on both sides put in Battalia.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1869), 479. An Army might enter in Battalia.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., XIX. vii. (1865), VIII. 235. Friedrich draws out in battalia.
b. fig. 1645. Sacred Decretal, 4. Draw up all your Instruments of torture and torment in Battalio.
1798. W. Hutton, Autobiog., 27. Marshalling, in battalia, fifty bright guineas.
† 2. A large body of men in battle array, a marshalled force or host, whether constituting the whole of an army, or one of its great divisions or battalions; = BATTLE sb. 8. Obs. (cf. BATTALION 1).
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., V. iii. 11. Nor. Six or seuen thousand is their vtmost power. K. Rich. Why, our Battalia trebbles that account.
1639. Saltmarshe, Pract. Policie, 136. If your forces bee divided and your troopes scattered into severall battalios.
1659. Gauden, Tears of Ch., 366 (D.). The Pope’s main Battaglio.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., I. i. 6. The Rules and Exercise of Architecture, Fortifications, and ordering of Battalia’s.
1684. Charnock, Attrib. God (1834), II. 500. The general of an army appoints the station of every regiment in a battalia.
1750. Carte, Hist. Eng., II. 412. A great army … marching towards them in three battalias.
b. fig.; cf. ‘host.’
1653. J. Hall, Paradoxes, 75. The Sunne, the Moone, and all the glorious battalia of heaven.
1668. Child, Disc. Trade (1698), 44. The gentleman brings up his battalia.
c. (short for ‘main battalia’): The main body of an army, as distinguished from the wings.
1645. Sacred Decretal, 14. Wee quickly plac’d Jockey in the right wing, Sir John in the left wing, and Old Nick in the Battalia.
1805. Gifford, Massinger’s Picture, II. i. (1813), III. 144.
† 3. The summons or call to form into line. Obs.
1625. Markham, Souldiers Accid., 16. The Drum doth beat … a Call, a March … a Battalia, a Charge.
