English
arm
see also: Arm, ARM
Pronunciation Etymology 1

From Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥mós, a suffixed form of *h₂er- ("to join, fit together").

Akin to Dutch arm, German Arm, Yiddish אָרעם, Danish -, Norwegian - and Swedish arm. Indo-European cognates include Latin armus, Armenian արմունկ, Ancient Greek ἁρμός and ἅρμα ("wagon, chariot"), Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬨𐬀, .

Noun

arm (plural arms)

  1. (anatomy) The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand.
    She stood with her right arm extended and her palm forward to indicate “Stop!”
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:
      When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.
  2. (anatomy) The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow.
    The arm and forearm are parts of the upper limb in the human body.
  3. A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal.
    the arms of an octopus
  4. The part of a piece of clothing that covers the arm.
    Synonyms: sleeve
    • 1851 November 13, Herman Melville, “Chapter 100 ↗”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC ↗, page 485 ↗:
      […] one arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.
    • 1970, J. G. Farrell, Troubles‎, New York: Knopf, published 1971, page 340:
      […] he noticed that a dark stain had appeared under the arm of her grey silk dress.
    • 2000, Zadie Smith, White Teeth, London: Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 82 ↗:
      Samad made a grab for the boy and caught him by the arm of his shirt.
  5. A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the armrest of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses.
    The robot arm reached out and placed the part on the assembly line.
  6. (geography) A bay or inlet off a main body of water.
    Shelburne Bay is an arm of Lake Champlain.
  7. A branch of an organization.
    the cavalry arm of the military service
  8. (figurative) Power; might; strength; support.
    the arm of the law
    the secular arm
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Isaiah 52:1 ↗:
      To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
  9. (baseball, slang) A pitcher
    The team needs to sign another arm in the offseason.
  10. (genetics) One of the two parts of a chromosome.
  11. A group of patients in a medical trial.
Translations

see arm/translations

Verb

arm (arms, present participle arming; simple past and past participle armed)

  1. (obsolete) To take by the arm; to take up in one's arms.
    • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene ii]:
      And make him with our pikes and partisans / A grave: come, arm him.
    • 1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher, William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson;  […], published 1634, →OCLC ↗, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      Arm your prize; / I know you will not lose him.
Etymology 2

From Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erm-.

Akin to Dutch arm, German arm, Yiddish אָרעם, Swedish arm.

Adjective

arm (comparative armer, superlative armest)

  1. (UK dialectal, chiefly, Scotland) Poor; lacking in riches or wealth.
  2. (UK dialectal, chiefly, Scotland) To be pitied; pitiful; wretched.
Noun

arm (plural arms)

  1. (usually used in the plural) A weapon.
    • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC ↗:
      The next thing I laid hold of was a brace of pistols, and as I already had a powder horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied with arms.
  2. (in the plural) Heraldic bearings or insignia.
    The Duke's arms were a sable gryphon rampant on an argent field.
  3. (in the plural, obsolete) War; hostilities; deeds or exploits of war.
Synonyms Translations Translations Verb

arm (arms, present participle arming; simple past and past participle armed)

  1. (transitive) To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons.
    The king armed his knights with swords and shields.
  2. (transitive, figurative) To supply with the equipment, knowledge, authority or other tools needed for a particular task; to furnish with capability; to equip.
    • 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I ↗:
      thou getteſt no more of me.
      For I am ſure thy Office doth not arme thee with ſuch authoritie.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, 1 Peter 4:1 ↗:
      arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
    • 1801(?), John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress ... to which is Added, the Life and Death of the Author, page 359:
      Many following him, and, in his journeyings, he visited many at their houses, and gave them consolation, arming them with steady resolves, to be patient in suffering and trust to God for their reward; […]
    • 1885, United States Congressional Serial Set, page 119:
      Q. In other words, you were commissioning men here in Cincinnati to attend the polls, arming them with authority to arrest citizens; men from outside of the city of Cincinnati to arrest citizens of the city of Cincinnati […]
  3. (transitive) To prepare (a tool, weapon, or system) for action; to activate.
    Remember to arm the alarm system before leaving for work.
  4. (intransitive, of a tool, weapon, or system) To become prepared for action; to activate.
  5. (transitive) To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency.
    to arm the hilt of a sword; to arm a hook in angling
  6. (intransitive) To take up weapons; to arm oneself.
  7. (transitive) To fit (a magnet) with an armature.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations
Arm
Adjective

arm

  1. Abbreviation of Armenian
ARM
Noun

arm

  1. Init of accelerated reply mail a service of the United States Postal Service
  2. Initialism of adjustable rate mortgage
Proper noun
  1. (computing) Init of ARM architecture or ARM architecture


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