Meaning

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

noun opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings

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

originFrom Latin cōnflīctus, from com- + flīctus, past participle of conflīgō (“to strike together”), from com- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence con-).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0