Forms: α. 4 enbusse, inbuche, 4–5 enbusshe, 5 embuisshe, 4–6 enbusche, 5–6 embusshe, 6–7 embush, 7– ambush. Also β. 4 abusse, abusche; γ. 4 busse, 6 busche, 7 bush. [a. OFr. embusche-r, embuissier, cogn. w. Sp. embuscar, It. imboscare:—late L. *inboscāre, f. in in + bosc-us wood, BUSH, i.e., to place in a wood, or among the bushes. For change to am- bef. 1600, see prec. Accented ambu·sh as late as 17th c.; already in 14th the toneless en- was treated like OE. prefix an-, becoming ă-, and then falling away: enbu·sh, ăbu·sh, ’bush. In 16th c. there was a by-form IMBOSQUE, a. It. imboscāre.]
1. To dispose troops in concealment among bushes, or elsewhere, so as to take an enemy by surprise; to place in ambush; to lay in wait. Obs. or arch., exc. in pa. pple. ambushed.
α. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 187. Alle þat suerd mot bere, Were sette R[ichard] to dere, enbussed þorgh þe feld.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2879. Do þat þaye in-buched beo … In þe wode þat þow miȝt see.
c. 1450. Merlin, xxii. 404. Sir Gawein and his felowes were enbusshed.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, F viij. The paynyms whiche nyghe were embusshed.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. x. 84. Thare lay ane vale in ane crukit glen, Ganand for slicht to enbusche armit men.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia, III. (1622), 250. [We] embushed his footmen in the falling of a hill.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., IV. 207. These hee ambushes in divers places.
1725. Pope, Odyss., IV. 602. Ambush’d we lie, and wait the bold emprize.
β. c. 1300. Beket, 1382. He him abussed there.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3634. A fersche ost … a-buschid þer bi-side.
γ. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 187. Saladyn prively was bussed beside þe flom.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 263. The Pechtis than wes buschit neir hand by.
1623. Daniel, Hymen’s Tri., II. i. Being closely bush’d a pretty distance off.
b. refl. Obs. exc. as in 1.
c. 1300. Beket, 1382. Seint Thomas was … in huding, as hit were, In the hows of Seint Bertin, for he him abussede there.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VI. 396. Neir thar-by He him enbuschit preuely.
c. 1450. Merlin, xvii. Ye and I shull go … and enbussh us there.
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arthur Lyt. Bryt., 177. Syr Isembartes cosyn embusshed him in a great forest.
1572. R. H., Lavaterus’s Ghostes, 86. That he shoulde embush himself behinde the wood.
1637. Heywood, Dialogues, 287. Here on the top of the mount Ericine Ambush thy selfe.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, V. xvi. To ambush us in greenwood bough.
2. intr. (refl. pron. omitted) To lie down in ambush; lie in wait, lurk.
1626. Shirley, Brothers, IV. ii. Now you know where to ambush.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., V. 826. Behind the rosy bloom he loves to lurk, Or ambush in a smile.
1855. M. Arnold, Memory Pict., 28. The archest chin Mockery ever ambush’d in.
1859. H. Kingsley, G. Hamlyn, II. 179. A wicked kitten, who ambushes round the corner of the flower-bed.
3. trans. To waylay, attack from an ambush.
1631. Heywood, England’s Eliz. (1641), To Reader 1. The criticks of this age, who with their frivolous cavils … ambush the commendable labours of others.
1780. Clinton, in Sparks’ Corr. Am. Rev. (1853), I. 135. This party were ambushed by the enemy, and defeated.
1881. Daily News, 26 March, 2/5. It was admitted that Mr. Lawson had ambushed him at midnight.
