Arma

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or tool designed specifically to inflict harm or defend against attack; an instrument or means used in conflict or combat; a means of exerting power or influence
2. An object or equipment intended for offensive or defensive purposes; a mechanism that serves to protect or attack; a resource utilized to gain advantage in a struggle or contest
3. A contraption crafted for violence or protection; a piece of equipment functioning as a weapon in battle; a method or implement used to exert force or control over others

Etymology: "Arma" is the plural of "arma" in the sense of arms, but its own history is the Latin word for implements of war, the plural of "arma" meaning "tools, equipment, weapons." It is an inherited Latin noun, and English gets it from the same root that gave us "army" and "armour" through Old French, though "arma" itself is the form preserved directly in Latin phrases and in the plural "arms." The Latin "arma" was a neuter plural noun that in classical usage covered equipment in general, including tools and fittings, before narrowing to weapons and armour for war. The same root appears in "armare," meaning to equip or fit out, which is the source of "arm" in the sense of furnishing with weapons, and of "armour" and "army," both borrowed through French. Its meaning in English has stayed close to this Latin sense of equipment for fighting. The modern English noun is largely confined to Latin-based phrases and specialist contexts, where it can still refer to a weapon or an instrument of force, so the word mostly survives in learned usage rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: weapon, arms, armament, firearm, tool

Antonyms: peace, disarmament