arsenal

[ahr-suh-nl, ahrs-nuhl]

noun

1. a place of storage or a magazine containing arms and military equipment for land or naval service.

2. a government establishment where military equipment or munitions are manufactured.

3. a collection or supply of weapons or munitions.

4. a collection or supply of anything; store.

   He came to the meeting with an impressive arsenal of new research data.

arsenal

/ ˈɑːsənəl /

noun

1. a store for arms, ammunition, and other military items

2. a workshop or factory that produces munitions

3. a store of anything regarded as weapons

   an arsenal of destructive arguments

Word History and Origins

Origin of arsenal¹

1500–10; (< Middle French ) < Italian arzanale < Upper Italian ( Venetian ) arzanà dockyard < Arabic dār ṣināʿah workshop (literally, house of handwork); initial d probably taken as a form of the preposition di from

Word History and Origins

Origin of arsenal¹

C16: from Italian arsenale dockyard, from the original Venetian arsenal dockyard and naval store, from Arabic dār sīn`ah, from dār house + sīn`ah manufacture

Example Sentences

Tomahawks—the longest-range cruise missiles in the U.S. arsenal—are vital to the war effort.

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The Pentagon’s reported push to beef up America’s missile arsenal spells more good news for a number of defense contractors, according to Vertical Research Partners.

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Targeting it with missiles can quickly deplete precious arsenals if drone incursions become routine.

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But in the Middle East, Israel proved itself to be the dominant regional military force, while in Europe, it is Russia that remains a major global power with a sizable nuclear arsenal.

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America remains the bastion of freedom and, equally important, the arsenal of democracy.

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