Meanings
arms1
- pluralgovernmentA visual design composed according to heraldic rules, normally displayed upon an escutcheon and sometimes accompanied by other elements of an achievement
The arms of England are: gules, three lions passant guardant or.
1 more example
The Metropolitan Electric trams bore the three seaxes of the Middlesex arms, with a crown above the shield, on a blue circle.
1950 June, Michael Robbins, “Heraldry of London Underground Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 382
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of arm
If the Duke arms himself for war, the king will not sit by idly!
arms2
- pluralplural of arm
ARMs3
- pluralplural of ARM
Synonyms & antonyms
nounweapons considered collectively
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
arms · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-mo-
- Old Frencharmes
- Middle Englisharmes
- Englisharms
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 2.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish våben
- våbenheraldic design
German Wappen
- Wappenheraldic design
Norwegian Bokmål våpen
- våpenheraldic design
Swedish vapen
- vapenheraldic design
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
arms. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arms
“arms.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arms. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arms,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arms.
Source: arms on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.