Etimology
From Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmos (“a fitting, joint; arm, forequarter”), a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to join, fit together”).
noun
arm (plural arms)
The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand.
(anatomy) The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow.
A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal.
The part of a piece of clothing that covers the arm.
A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the arm of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses.
(geography) A bay or inlet off a main body of water.
A branch of an organization.
(figurative) Power; might; strength; support.
(baseball, slang) A pitcher
(genetics) One of the two parts of a chromosome.
A group of patients in a medical trial.
Examples
She stood with her right arm extended and her palm forward to indicate “Stop!”
When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.
The arm and forearm are parts of the upper limb in the human body.
the arms of an octopus
Synonym: sleeve
[…] one arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.
[…] he noticed that a dark stain had appeared under the arm of her grey silk dress.
Samad made a grab for the boy and caught him by the arm of his shirt.
The robot arm reached out and placed the part on the assembly line.
Shelburne Bay is an arm of Lake Champlain.
the cavalry arm of the military service
Congress has asked the Government Accountability Office, its investigative arm, to review the workplace complaints raised by air marshals, said Charles Young, a spokesman for the office.
the arm of the law
the secular arm
To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
The team needs to sign another arm in the offseason.
verb
arm (third-person singular simple present arms, present participle arming, simple past and past participle armed)
(obsolete) To take by the arm; to take up in one's arms.
Examples
And make him with our pikes and partisans / A grave: come, arm him.
Arm your prize; / I know you will not lose him.
Etimology
From Middle English arm (“poor, wretched”), from Old English earm (“poor, miserable, pitiful, wretched”), from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erm- (“poor, ill”).
adjective
arm (comparative armer or more arm, superlative armest or most arm)
(UK dialectal, chiefly Scotland) Poor; lacking in riches or wealth.
(UK dialectal, chiefly Scotland) To be pitied; pitiful; wretched.
Etimology
Back-formation from arms (plural), from Middle English armes, from Old French armes, from Latin arma (“weapons”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-mo-, a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to fit together”), hence ultimately cognate with etymology 1.
noun
arm (plural arms)
(usually used in the plural) A weapon.
(in the plural) Heraldic bearings or insignia.
(in the plural, obsolete) War; hostilities; deeds or exploits of war.
Examples
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The next thing I laid hold of was a brace of pistols, and as I already had a powder horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied with arms.
The Duke's arms were a sable gryphon rampant on an argent field.
Related words
synonyms
See also Thesaurus:weapon
verb
arm (third-person singular simple present arms, present participle arming, simple past and past participle armed)
(transitive) To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons.
(transitive, figurative) To supply with the equipment, knowledge, authority, or other tools needed for a particular task; to furnish with capability; to equip.
(transitive) To prepare (a tool, weapon, or system) for action; to activate.
(intransitive, of a tool, weapon, or system) To become prepared for action; to activate.
(transitive) To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency.
(intransitive) To take up weapons; to arm oneself.
(transitive) To fit (a magnet) with an armature.
Examples
The king armed his knights with swords and shields.
They were arming them with spears and shields, putting iron halfhelms on their heads, and arraying them along the inner wall, a rank of snowy sentinels. "Lord Winter has joined us with his levies," one of the sentries [said].
thou getteſt no more of me.For I am ſure thy Office doth not arme thee with ſuch authoritie.
arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
Many following him, and, in his journeyings, he visited many at their houses, and gave them consolation, arming them with steady resolves, to be patient in suffering and trust to God for their reward; […]
[God] directed them to choose out three hundred only, and, arming them with nothing but trumpets and lamps, to send them by night into the camp of the Midianites.
Q. In other words, you were commissioning men here in Cincinnati to attend the polls, arming them with authority to arrest citizens; men from outside of the city of Cincinnati to arrest citizens of the city of Cincinnati […]
Picture taking soothed support troops' anxieties twice over, empowering them as they navigated a strange environment, and arming them with proof that they really had served in a war.
[…] and arming them with skills, work habits, and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.
Remember to arm the alarm system before leaving for work.
Torpedoes were loosed, but the range was too short for them to actually arm, and they bounced harmlessly off the ship as it cut loose with its secondary and antiaircraft guns, smashing anything that it could see.
to arm the hit of a sword; to arm a hook in angling
Related words
synonyms
(furnish with weapons): beweapon