Formal one-on-one fights between two people to settle a disagreement, often with weapons and following strict rules.
From Latin 'duellum,' a shortening of 'bellum' (war) combined with 'duo' (two). Medieval knights formalized the practice, and the word entered common use for these ritualized combats.
Many famous historical figures died in duels—Alexander Hamilton famously lost to Aaron Burr in 1804—which shows how societies used to solve disagreements before we invented lawsuits and democracy.
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