I found myself watching a History Channel program while suffering from insomnia tonight and, upon reading the program description in the cable guide, noted the word "pitched" as it was used in the program guide - the Battle of the Bulge was the largest pitched battle in U.S. history.

It’s a word frequently  used in just that context, as in a pitched or a heated battle, but I’ve had a very hard time finding good  etymological resources for it. That was my reason for bringing it here for nomination and, I hope, explanation from other very early morning denizens.

I’ve heard pitched as as a term. as in even.  but I am not up to it. So I am no help.

Hmm, I’ve never heard pitched used as in "even".  But there’s a first time for everything, I guess.

Welcome to the Agora, watermelon.  I see this was your first post.  Please don’t make it your last, as so many others have…

I looked up the proffered etymology at one of my favorite sites, the Online Etymology Dictionary:

pitch (v.)

   c.1205, "to thrust in, fasten, settle," probably from an unrecorded O.E. *piccean, related to the root of the verb prick. The original past tense was pight. Sense in pitch a tent (1297) is from notion of "driving in" the pegs; meaning "throw a ball" evolved c.1386 from that of "hit the mark." Noun meaning "act of throwing" is recorded from 1833. The noun meaning "act of plunging headfirst" is from 1762; sense of "slope, degree, inclination" is from 1542; musical sense is from 1597; but the connection of these is obscure. Sales pitch is attested from 1876, probably extended from meaning "stall pitched as a sales booth" (1811). Pitch-pipe is attested from 1711. Pitcher "one who pitches" is recorded from 1722, originally hay into a wagon, etc.; baseball sense first recorded 1845.

So it would appear that the sense of "heated" (in battle) comes from both sides "plunging headfirst"... which one could argue grew out of the sense of "slope, degree, inclination".

-Tim

Thanks for the warm welcome and the probable origins of the word, Tim.  I have  duly bookmarked the link you provided, I’m sure I’ll be using that dictionary a great dea in the future.

I was thinking that perhaps the word origin was related to pitch, as in the flammable substance and therefore a likely tool of war - taking the term "heated battle" quite literally.  I was likely influenced in that direction from a PBS film about the past few days in October, when in 1967 there was a confluence of tragic events involving the Vietnam War and napalm, in part.  

I always thought it had something to do with catapults.  And all the pitching involved in that.

c.1205, "to thrust in, fasten, settle," probably from an unrecorded O.E. *piccean, related to the root of the verb prick.

To pitch, as in to dig in for an extended battle, when forces are even. To pitch, in English, means to lay back and wait. Or to throw something. Two opposite meanings. I doubt we’ll get to the bottom of this.
The trebuchet had to be pitched, before hurling (my fave sport, btw)

-melissa

Not the etymology for this term, but I would add that those pitched battles probably have pitched tents somewhere close enough for ther generals to continue planning strategy…
-gailr

[quote author=melissa link=board=wordsuggest;num=1130054020;start=0#5 date=10/24/05 at 23:49:12]To pitch, in English, means to lay back and wait.

Hey Meliss,

Where did you see this?

Thanks,

V

Sales pitch

I had always assumed took it’s shade of meanin fro pitch (as to pitch a ball) in that you are throwin an idea out there (to a group) and hoping the catch on to it and run with the idea…

Wonder how these meanings relate to pitch in te musical sense?