dualler

A dualler is a person who participates in a duel. The term is a less common variant of duelist or duellist, and in contemporary usage the standard spellings dueler or duellist are more typical.

Historically, duellers emerged in cultures that recognized personal honor as a matter of public reputation. Duels were usually arranged as one-on-one encounters to resolve disputes, such as perceived slights or challenges to defend or restore honor. The proceedings were often mediated by seconds and observed to ensure fairness, with the choice of weapons and the terms of engagement varying by region and era. Early forms of dueling used swords, later giving way to pistols as firearm technology developed, especially in the early modern period. The conduct of duels was frequently governed by codified rules, such as the code duello, which sought to standardize challenges, conditions, and outcomes.

In the modern era, dueling has largely been prohibited or regulated out of legality in many jurisdictions, and actual combat between individuals has become uncommon. The term dualler therefore tends to appear mainly in historical discussion, literary works, or discussions of ceremonial or fictional depictions of duels. In those contexts, the word remains a linguistic variant rather than a commonly used term in everyday speech.

See also: duel, duelist/duellist, code duello, fencing, one-on-one combat.