Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'camp' holds a significant place in our lexicon, transcending its basic definition as a temporary outdoor living site. It has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, symbolizing adventure, camaraderie, and a return to nature. From summer camps that foster childhood memories to the concept of 'camp' in art and fashion, which embraces theatricality and exaggeration, this word is deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness.
Moreover, the term 'camp' has been adopted and translated into various languages worldwide, reflecting its global appeal and cultural importance. For instance, in Spanish, it translates to 'campamento'; in French, 'camping'; in German, 'Lager'; in Italian, 'campo'. Each translation offers a unique cultural perspective, broadening our understanding and appreciation of this versatile word.
Delving into the translations of 'camp' not only enriches our linguistic skills but also provides a fascinating glimpse into different cultural interpretations of this cherished concept. So, let's explore the world of 'camp' through its multitude of translations.
Afrikaans | kamp | ||
Afrikaans "kamp" also refers to a concentration camp, from British English slang "to camp" (to arrest) | |||
Amharic | ካምፕ | ||
The Amharic word "ካምፕ" can also refer to a place where people gather for a specific purpose, such as a training camp or a refugee camp. | |||
Hausa | zango | ||
In Hausa, "zango" has multiple meanings, including a camp, a marketplace, and a non-indigenous settlement. | |||
Igbo | mara ụlọikwuu | ||
The Igbo word "mara ụlọikwuu" can also refer to a temporary shelter or resting place during a journey. | |||
Malagasy | toby | ||
Toby can also mean a place where soldiers stay, camp, a group of campers or travelers, and a tent | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | msasa | ||
In some contexts, msasa refers to a grove of trees with a clear area in the centre, often used as a meeting place in rural areas. | |||
Shona | musasa | ||
Shona _musasa_ also refers to an encampment, an encampment for men alone, an isolated village and a military camp or a regiment, from a possible earlier form _*mudzasha*_, a 'village on the side'. | |||
Somali | xero | ||
The Somali word "xero" is derived from the Proto-Somali term "*xaro", meaning a cleared area for a village or camp | |||
Sesotho | liahelo | ||
The Sesotho word liahelo is derived from the Proto-Bantu word *liahelo, which also means 'place of assembly'. | |||
Swahili | kambi | ||
The word "kambi" can also refer to a military base or a prison in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | inkampu | ||
The word 'inkampu' also means 'place of shelter' and 'place of gathering'. | |||
Yoruba | ibudó | ||
The word "ibudó" can also refer to a temporary shelter or a place where people gather for a specific purpose, such as a market or a religious festival. | |||
Zulu | ikamu | ||
The word "ikamu" can also refer to a military fortification, similar to a garrison or barracks. | |||
Bambara | kanpaɲi | ||
Ewe | asaɖa me | ||
Kinyarwanda | ingando | ||
Lingala | camp | ||
Luganda | enkambi | ||
Sepedi | kampa | ||
Twi (Akan) | nsraban mu | ||
Arabic | معسكر | ||
The word معسكر also refers to the "site of a battle in a desert" | |||
Hebrew | מַחֲנֶה | ||
The word "מַחֲנֶה" also means "army" or "gathering" in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | کمپ | ||
The Pashto word "کمپ" ('camp') can also refer to a military unit or a group of nomads. | |||
Arabic | معسكر | ||
The word معسكر also refers to the "site of a battle in a desert" |
Albanian | kamp | ||
Albanian "kamp" is of Greek origin (κάμπος) and means "a flat tract of land", hence its use to describe refugee camps or summer camps. | |||
Basque | kanpamentua | ||
The word "Kanpamentua" derives from french "campement", from latin "castra". Also used to refer a place where tents or other shelters are erected for temporary occupation. | |||
Catalan | campament | ||
The term "campament" in Catalan comes from the Late Latin word "campāmentum," meaning both an encampment and a military fort. | |||
Croatian | kamp | ||
In Croatian, the word "kamp" can also refer to a military encampment or a prison camp. | |||
Danish | lejr | ||
The word "lejr" in Danish comes from the Old Norse word "leiger" meaning "resting place". | |||
Dutch | kamp | ||
In Dutch, "kamp" can also refer to a concentration camp. | |||
English | camp | ||
"Camp" comes from the Latin campus, meaning a field or open ground. | |||
French | camp | ||
In French, "camp" can also mean "field" or "settlement" and its use predates the 18th-century military use of the word. | |||
Frisian | kamp | ||
The term "kamp" also refers to a field where a sport like soccer is played. | |||
Galician | campamento | ||
The Galician word "campamento" also means "training period" or "military camp." | |||
German | lager | ||
Lager can also refer to a warehouse or, in the context of mining, to a mineral deposit. | |||
Icelandic | búðir | ||
The Icelandic word "búðir" can also refer to a temporary shelter or a place where people gather to buy and sell goods. | |||
Irish | champa | ||
The Irish word 'champa' can also mean a plain or level field or an enclosed field for horses or cattle. | |||
Italian | campo | ||
The Italian word "campo" is derived from the Latin term "campus," which originally referred to a plain or open field. | |||
Luxembourgish | lager | ||
In Luxembourgish, "Lager" also historically referred to a seasonal storage shed for agricultural products or tools. | |||
Maltese | kamp | ||
The word "kamp" in Maltese can also refer to a small field or a piece of land. | |||
Norwegian | leir | ||
The word 'leir' is derived from the Old Norse word 'leirr,' which means 'clay' or 'earth,' and can also refer to a military camp or a temporary settlement. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | acampamento | ||
In Brazilian Portuguese, "acampamento" may also refer to a homeless encampment. | |||
Scots Gaelic | campa | ||
An alternate meaning of "campa" is "field" or "open space", originating from the Proto-Celtic "*kampos". | |||
Spanish | acampar | ||
'Acampar' originates from the Latin 'campus', meaning 'field' or 'open space'; its Spanish equivalent 'campo' retains this meaning. | |||
Swedish | läger | ||
In Swedish, "läger" also refers to a military training ground or a place where people gather for a purpose. | |||
Welsh | gwersyll | ||
The word "gwersyll" can also refer to a "military camp" or a "temporary encampment." |
Belarusian | лагер | ||
The word "лагер" (camp) in Belarusian also refers to a type of traditional footwear made from birch bark. | |||
Bosnian | kamp | ||
Bosnian 'kamp' also refers to a military unit consisting of a few companies or battalions, or the place where they're stationed. | |||
Bulgarian | лагер | ||
The word "lager" is of German origin and originally referred to a storehouse or warehouse, but in Bulgarian it has come to mean "camp". | |||
Czech | tábor | ||
The word "tábor" also refers to the Hussite fortified camp, and is the origin of the city's name, Tábor in the south of the Czech Republic. | |||
Estonian | laager | ||
The word "laager" likely originates from either the Dutch word "leger" or the German word "Lager", both meaning "camp." | |||
Finnish | leiri | ||
The word "leiri" also means "layer" and is related to the Proto-Finnic word "lehi" meaning "leaf". | |||
Hungarian | tábor | ||
The Hungarian word “tábor” originally meant an army camp, but it also refers to a place of gathering or a religious community. | |||
Latvian | nometne | ||
"Nometne" is a cognate of the Lithuanian word "namas" which means "house". | |||
Lithuanian | lagerio | ||
The word "lagerio" is derived from the Latin word "lacus", which means "lake". | |||
Macedonian | камп | ||
The word "камп" (camp) in Macedonian can also refer to "camping" or a "summer camp for children." | |||
Polish | obóz | ||
The word "obóz" is derived from the Slavic root *ob-, meaning "around", and can also refer to a military siege or an encampment of hunters. | |||
Romanian | tabără | ||
"Tabără" can also mean a gathering of people for a particular purpose, such as a political rally or a scientific conference. | |||
Russian | лагерь | ||
The word "лагерь" in Russian derives from the German word "Lager" and can also refer to a prison or concentration camp. | |||
Serbian | камп | ||
"Камп" (pronounced "kahmp") in Serbian also means "army" or "military base". | |||
Slovak | tábor | ||
The Slovak word "tábor" originated from the German "Lager", meaning "camp" or "encampment". | |||
Slovenian | tabor | ||
Slovene word "tabor" is also a name for a large drum used to call people to prayer in rural areas or in the event of an invasion, or a place where such drum is stored. | |||
Ukrainian | табір | ||
The Ukrainian word "табір" derives from the Persian "tabir", meaning "encampment". |
Bengali | শিবির | ||
The word "শিবির" derives from the Sanskrit word "शिविर" (shivira), meaning 'tent' or 'encampment'. | |||
Gujarati | શિબિર | ||
The term "śibir" (शिवीर in Devanagari), a location where people gather in tents, originates from the Sanskrit root word 'śiva' (शिव), meaning "to sew". The term came to refer to the process of joining tents together and by extension the location where these tents were erected. | |||
Hindi | शिविर | ||
The word "शिविर" in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिव" meaning "well-being" or "safety". It refers to a temporary settlement or place of refuge. | |||
Kannada | ಶಿಬಿರ | ||
The word 'ಶಿಬಿರ' (camp) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शिविर' (resting place for soldiers), and is used to refer to temporary settlements or shelters. | |||
Malayalam | ക്യാമ്പ് | ||
The word 'ക്യാമ്പ്' in Malayalam also refers to a group of people with a common purpose or interest, like a political or religious camp. | |||
Marathi | छावणी | ||
छावणी, meaning 'camp' in Marathi, derives from the Persian word 'chāwunī', referring to a temporary military encampment. | |||
Nepali | शिविर | ||
The word "शिविर" can also mean a group of people gathered for a specific purpose, such as a conference or a religious retreat. | |||
Punjabi | ਡੇਰੇ | ||
The word "ਡੇਰੇ" in Punjabi can also refer to a temporary shelter or a place where people gather for religious or social purposes. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කඳවුරේ | ||
The word 'කඳවුරේ' (camp) also has the alternate meaning 'battlefield' in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | முகாம் | ||
The Tamil word "முகாம்" (camp) can also refer to a place where people are temporarily housed, such as a refugee camp or a military camp. | |||
Telugu | శిబిరం | ||
The word "శిబిరం" can also refer to a military base or a gathering place for pilgrims. | |||
Urdu | کیمپ | ||
The Urdu word 'کیمپ' ('camp') is derived from the Latin word 'campus' ('field') and is cognate with the English word 'camp' which also means 'field'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 营 | ||
The character "营" can also refer to a battalion in the military, a business, or a place of residence. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 營 | ||
營 as a simplified variant of 贏 was a type of tax used during the Qin Dynasty. | |||
Japanese | キャンプ | ||
キャンプ is borrowed from the English word | |||
Korean | 캠프 | ||
Korean '캠프' originates from the French word 'camp' and retains its military meaning of 'troop encampment'. | |||
Mongolian | хуаран | ||
The Mongolian word 'хуаран' has an alternate meaning of 'settlement' or 'dwelling'. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စခန်း | ||
“စခန်း” is the Burmese word for “camp”, but its original meaning was “a resting place for travelers”. |
Indonesian | kamp | ||
Indonesian "kamp" can also refer to a village, as it comes from the Hokkien Chinese "kim-peh" (金邊), meaning "gold edge" and referring to a town on the border. | |||
Javanese | kemah | ||
The word "kemah" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "kama" which means "joy, pleasure". | |||
Khmer | ជំរំ | ||
The word "ជំរំ" (camp) is most likely derived from "ជំ" (to stay) and "រំ" (to cover), indicating a sheltered place to dwell. | |||
Lao | ຄ່າຍ | ||
ຄ່າຍ "camp" can also refers to groups of persons or organizations sharing a particular political or philosophical affiliation | |||
Malay | perkhemahan | ||
In Malay, the word "perkhemahan" not only denotes an outdoor gathering of individuals but also refers to a place of detention or a place where animals are kept in captivity, highlighting its diverse semantic range. | |||
Thai | ค่าย | ||
The word "ค่าย" in Thai also means "military base" or "refugee camp," and originates from the Sanskrit word "kāya" meaning "body" or "group of people." | |||
Vietnamese | trại | ||
"Trại" also means "farm" or "plantation" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kampo | ||
Azerbaijani | düşərgə | ||
The word "düşərgə" is a Persian borrowing from the Arabic "dušārgah", meaning "quarter". However, in Azerbaijani, "düşərgə" retains its original meaning and can also mean "encampment" or even "village". | |||
Kazakh | лагерь | ||
The word "лагерь" in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word "lager", meaning "camp" or "army camp." | |||
Kyrgyz | конуш | ||
The word "конуш" in Kyrgyz originates from the Turkic verb "kon" (to move) and is semantically linked to the concept of temporary encampment. | |||
Tajik | бошишгоҳ | ||
The word "бошишгоҳ" can also refer to "a place where people gather for religious ceremonies, especially during the summer" | |||
Turkmen | lager | ||
Uzbek | lager | ||
The word "lager" also means "a large building for storing goods" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | لاگېر | ||
Hawaiian | kahua hoʻomoana | ||
"Kahua ho‘omoana" can also mean shelter, resting place, or place of safety. | |||
Maori | puni | ||
The word "puni" also means "to surround" or "to enclose" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | tolauapiga | ||
The etymology of the Samoan word "tolauapiga" is unclear | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kampo | ||
"Kampo" also means "camp" in Spanish, likely due to the Philippines' history as a Spanish colony. |
Aymara | campamento | ||
Guarani | campamento-pe | ||
Esperanto | tendaro | ||
"Tendaro" also means "awning, canopy, roof, shed." | |||
Latin | castra | ||
The word "castra" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *kes- ("to cut, divide"), suggesting a fortified area. |
Greek | κατασκήνωση | ||
The word "κατασκήνωση" comes from the verb "κατασκηνόω," meaning "to pitch a tent" or "to dwell in tents." | |||
Hmong | pw hav zoov | ||
The word "pw hav zoov" can also mean "home" or "village" in Hmong, indicating its importance as a place of residence and community. | |||
Kurdish | cîkon | ||
The word "cîkon" in Kurdish also means "refugee camp" or "tent camp for nomads" | |||
Turkish | kamp | ||
Kamp also means "blood" (from Persian "khoon") in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | inkampu | ||
The word 'inkampu' also means 'place of shelter' and 'place of gathering'. | |||
Yiddish | לאַגער | ||
The Yiddish word "לאַגער" can also refer to a military prison or a place where refugees are held. | |||
Zulu | ikamu | ||
The word "ikamu" can also refer to a military fortification, similar to a garrison or barracks. | |||
Assamese | বাহৰ | ||
Aymara | campamento | ||
Bhojpuri | शिविर के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ކޭމްޕެކެވެ | ||
Dogri | कैंप | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kampo | ||
Guarani | campamento-pe | ||
Ilocano | kampo | ||
Krio | kamp | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کەمپ | ||
Maithili | शिविर | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯦꯝꯄ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | camp a ni | ||
Oromo | kaampii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶିବିର | ||
Quechua | campamento | ||
Sanskrit | शिबिरम् | ||
Tatar | лагерь | ||
Tigrinya | መዓስከር | ||
Tsonga | kampa | ||