wager of battle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
One of the forms of ordeal or appeal to the judgment of God, in -the old
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “wager of battle” mean?
One of the forms of ordeal or appeal to the judgment of God, in -the old
Is “wager of battle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.