What is "to wage battle"

Wage \Wage\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waged; p. pr. & vb. n. Waging.] [OE. wagen, OF. wagier, gagier, to pledge, promise, F. gager to wager, lay, bet, fr. LL. wadium a pledge; of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. wadi a pledge, gawadj[=o]n to pledge, akin to E. wed, G. wette a wager. See Wed, and cf. Gage.]

1. To pledge; to hazard on the event of a contest; to stake; to bet, to lay; to wager; as, to wage a dollar.
   --Hakluyt.

   My life I never but as a pawn To wage against thy enemies.
   --Shak.

2. To expose one's self to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. ``Too weak to wage an instant trial with the king.''
   --Shak.

   To wake and wage a danger profitless.
   --Shak.

3. To engage in, as a contest, as if by previous gage or pledge; to carry on, as a war.

   [He pondered] which of all his sons was fit To reign and wage immortal war with wit.
   --Dryden.

   The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the destruction of the other.
   --I. Taylor.

4. To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. [Obs.] ``Thou . . . must wage thy works for wealth.''
   --Spenser.

5. To put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to.

   Abundance of treasure which he had in store, wherewith he might wage soldiers.
   --Holinshed.

   I would have them waged for their labor.
   --Latimer.

6. (O. Eng. Law) To give security for the performance of.
   --Burrill.

   To wage battle (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under Wager, n.
   --Burrill.

   To wage one's law (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under Wager, n.