warpath

Etymology

From war + path.

Why this word is great

WARPATH — [Noun] The route taken by a party of Native Americans going on a warlike expedition; figuratively, a course of action leading to battle or hostility. From war ("armed conflict") + path ("route, trail"), originally describing the literal path taken by Native American warriors. Unlike "campaign" (which suggests a calculated series of maneuvers) or "vendetta" (which lingers in personal grudges), "warpath" is the thunderous drumbeat of imminent collision—the dust rising from moccasins in single file, the glint of tomahawks in slanting light, the silent tension of a predator closing in. It is the moment before the storm, when the air itself hums with inevitability.

noun

The route taken by a party of Native Americans going on a warlike expedition.“He went often to visit the spot where the women had buried her, and sat musing there, when, it was thought, by some of his friends, he would have done better to try to amuse himself in the chase, or by diverting his thoughts in the war-path.”
A course of action that leads to battle or hostility.