Bellum
Latin for War. An armed contest between nations and the state of war between those who are in conflict against each other. A term which is the root of the idea of Jus Belli, the law of war.
How to cite this article:
Dugdale-Pointon, T. (17 January 2001), Bellum, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/concepts_bellum.html