From Latin 'campus' (flat open space for military drill) — the same root as 'campus,' 'campaign,' and 'champion.'
A place where tents, huts, or other temporary shelters are set up, especially for soldiers, travelers, or recreational purposes; also, a group sharing a particular opinion or allegiance.
From French 'camp' (an open field, a military encampment), from Italian 'campo' (a field), from Latin 'campus' (a flat open space, a field, especially the Campus Martius — the Field of Mars in Rome where military exercises were conducted). The word entered English in the sixteenth century specifically as a military term. The Latin 'campus' also gives English 'campus' (a university grounds), 'campaign' (originally a military operation in open country), and 'champion' (one who fights on the field). Key roots: campus (
Camp, campus, campaign, and champion all come from Latin 'campus' (field). A campaign was originally a military operation across open fields. A champion was a fighter on the field of battle (from Late Latin 'campiō'). A campus is a field for learning. And German 'Kampf' (struggle, fight) — as in 'Mein Kampf' — comes from the same Latin root via a different route.