Etymology
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wÇ£pn, from Proto-West Germanic *wÄpn, from Proto-Germanic *wÄ“pnÄ… (weapon), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wÄ“bnom. Cognate with Scots wapyn, wappen (weapon), West Frisian wapen (weapon), Dutch wapen (weapon, coat of arms), Low German wapen (weapon), German Waffe (weapon) and Wappen (coat of arms), Danish vÃ¥ben (weapon, coat of arms), Swedish vapen (weapon, coat of arms), Norwegian BokmÃ¥l vÃ¥pen (weapon), Icelandic vopn (weapon).
Noun
weapon (plural weapons)
- An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords; arm.
- The club that is now mostly used for golf was once a common weapon.
- An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
- Money is the main weapon of modern oligarchs.
Derived terms
- assault weapon
- atomic weapon
- beweapon
- biological weapon
- bioweapon
- chemical weapon
- conventional weapon
- cyberweapon
- digital weapon
- doomsday weapon
- energy weapon
- murder weapon
- nonweapon
- nuclear weapon
- radiological weapon
- ranged weapon
- siege weapon
- space weapon
- superweapon
- thermonuclear weapon
- weaponed
- weaponeer
- weaponization
- weaponize
- weaponless
- weaponlike
- weapon oath
- weapon of mass destruction
- weaponry
- weaponsmith
- weaponsmithing
Verb
weapon (third-person singular simple present weapons, present participle weaponing, simple past and past participle weaponed)
- To equip with a weapon; to arm.
Credits
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