armament

American  

[ahr-muh-muhnt] / ˈɑr mə mənt /

noun

1. the arms and equipment with which a military unit or military apparatus is supplied.

2. a land, sea, or air force equipped for war.

3. armor.

4. Usually armaments. military strength collectively.

   the armaments race; a country without armaments.

5. the process of equipping or arming for war.

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armament British  

/ ˈɑːməmənt /

noun

1. (often plural) the weapon equipment of a military vehicle, ship, or aircraft

2. a military force raised and armed ready for war

3. preparation for war involving the production of equipment and arms

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonarmament
  noun

Etymology

Origin of armament

1690–1700; < Latin armāmenta fittings, equivalent to armā ( re ) to fit out ( see arm ²) + -menta (plural) -ment

Explanation

Use the noun armament to talk about the kind of weapons that armies use when they wage wars. A tank, for example, is an armament. The word armament is good for describing heavy duty weaponry and the equipment that's associated with it, like bombs, fighter jets, tanks, and assault rifles. It's even more common to use the plural form, armaments. In the seventeenth century, the word was mainly used to mean "naval force equipped for war," and it comes from the Latin root armare, "to arm, or to furnish with weapons."

Related Words

• ammunition
• arms
• hardware
• ordnance
• weaponry