weapon

English

Etymology

From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpen (“weapon, sword, arms”), from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom. Cognate with Scots wapyn, wappen (“weapon”), West Frisian wapen (“weapon”), Dutch wapen (“weapon”), Low German wapen (“weapon”), German Waffe (“weapon”), Swedish vapen (“weapon”), Icelandic vopn (“weapon”).

Pronunciation

Noun

weapon (plural weapons)

  1. An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
  2. An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
    • 2011 January 15, Phil Dawkes, “Stoke 2 -0 Bolton”, BBC:
      Rory Delap's long throw-ins are a familiar weapon to the Potters' opponents but this does not make them any easier to defend against.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

instrument of attack or defense in combat
means of harming or exerting control
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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 15:37