/ ˈkɒmbətənt; NAmE ˈkɑːm-/ noun
a person or group involved in fighting in a war or battle
—compare non-combatant
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as an adjective used in heraldry to describe two lions facing one another with raised forepaws): from Old French , present participle of combatre to fight, from late Latin combattere , from com- together with + battere , variant of Latin batuere to fight.