Meaning

noun a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

noun an energetic attempt to achieve something

noun an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); --Thomas Paine

originFrom Middle English batel, batell, batelle, batayle, bataylle, borrowed from Old French bataille, from Late Latin battālia, variant of battuālia (“fighting and fencing exercises”) from Latin battuō (“to strike, hit, beat, fight”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from a Gaulish or Proto-Germanic root from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to stab, dig”), related to Old English beado (“battle”); or…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0