Surprise attacks where people hide and then suddenly attack, or the act of setting up such an attack.
From Old French 'embuscher' meaning to place in a bush, from 'en-' (in) and 'busche' (bush). Medieval soldiers would literally hide in bushes to surprise enemies.
The word 'ambush' is a fossil of medieval warfare—it literally means 'in the bush' because forests and bushes were where ambushes actually happened, and the word preserved that original tactic even as warfare evolved.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.