From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pitch \Pitch\, v. t. [OE. picchen; akin to E. pick, pike.]
1. To throw, generally with a definite aim or purpose; to
cast; to hurl; to toss; as, to pitch quoits; to pitch hay;
to pitch a ball.
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2. To thrust or plant in the ground, as stakes or poles;
hence, to fix firmly, as by means of poles; to establish;
to arrange; as, to pitch a tent; to pitch a camp.
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3. To set, face, or pave with rubble or undressed stones, as
an embankment or a roadway. --Knight.
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4. To fix or set the tone of; as, to pitch a tune.
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5. To set or fix, as a price or value. [Obs.] --Shak.
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{Pitched battle}, a general battle; a battle in which the
hostile forces have fixed positions; -- in distinction
from a skirmish.
{To pitch into}, to attack; to assault; to abuse. [Slang]
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Battle \Bat"tle\, n. [OE. bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle,
OF., battle, battalion, fr. L. battalia, battualia, the
fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators,
fr. batuere to strike, beat. Cf. {Battalia}, 1st {Battel},
and see {Batter}, v. t. ]
1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the
divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement;
a combat.
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2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.
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The whole intellectual battle that had at its center
the best poem of the best poet of that day. --H.
Morley.
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3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.]
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The king divided his army into three battles.
--Bacon.
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The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the
battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every
action. --Robertson.
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4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear;
battalia. [Obs.] --Hayward.
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Note: Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a
self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a "brand"
or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield;
battle ground; battle array; battle song.
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{Battle piece}, a painting, or a musical composition,
representing a battle.
{Battle royal}.
(a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that
stands longest is the victor. --Grose.
(b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two
are engaged; a m[^e]l['e]e. --Thackeray.
{Drawn battle}, one in which neither party gains the victory.
{To give battle}, to attack an enemy.
{To join battle}, to meet the attack; to engage in battle.
{Pitched battle}, one in which the armies are previously
drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the
forces.
{Wager of battle}. See under {Wager}, n.
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Syn: Conflict; encounter; contest; action.
Usage: {Battle}, {Combat}, {Fight}, {Engagement}. These words
agree in denoting a close encounter between contending
parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the
others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied
to the encounter of a few individuals, and more
commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A
combat is a close encounter, whether between few or
many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is
commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement
supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or
intermingled in the conflict.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pitched battle
n 1: a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in
predetermined positions at a chosen time and place
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