People or groups engaged in fighting or warfare.
From Old French 'combatant', from 'combattre' (to fight), ultimately from Latin 'com-' (together) and 'battuere' (to beat). The word suggests mutual engagement rather than one-sided aggression.
International law distinguishes between combatants and civilians, granting combatants the right to participate in hostilities but also making them legitimate targets. This legal framework attempts to humanize warfare through rules that seem paradoxically civilized.
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