weapon
/ˈwɛp.ən/ noun, verb
Forms weapons weaponing weaponed
- noun An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords. “The club that is now mostly used for golf was once a common weapon.”
- noun An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another. “Money is the main weapon of modern oligarchs.”
- noun (informal, humorous) A tool of any kind. “Choose your weapon.”
- noun (UK, Ireland, slang, derogatory) An idiot, an oaf, a fool, a tool; a contemptible or incompetent person.
- noun (Australia, slang) A very skilled, competent, or capable person or thing worthy of awe.
- noun (rare, slang) The human genitals.
- verb (transitive) To equip with a weapon; to arm.
Synonyms
arm moron arse legend champion unit danger zone down there genital organs genitalia genitals genitors intimate parts junk nethers no-no spot pee-pee private parts privates pudenda weapon system artillery
Etymology
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, from Proto-West Germanic *wāpn, from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom.
Cognate with Scots weepon (“weapon”), North Frisian woopen (“weapon”), Saterland Frisian Woapen (“weapon”), West Frisian wapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Alemannic German Waaffe (“tool”), Dutch wapen (“weapon”), German Waffe (“weapon”) and Wappen (“coat of arms”), Luxembourgish Waff (“weapon”), Yiddish וואָפֿן (vofn, “weapon”), Danish våben (“weapon; coat of arms”), Faroese vákn, vápn (“weapon; whaling lance”), Icelandic vopn (“weapon”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk våpen (“weapon”), Swedish vapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐍀𐌽 (wēpn, “weapon”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An instrument of offensive of defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying, defeating, or injuring an enemy, as a gun, a sword, etc. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. 2 Cor. x. 4.
- noun Fig.: The means or instrument with which one contends against another; as, argument was his only weapon. "Woman's weapons, water drops." Shak.
Etymology [OE. wepen, AS. w; akin to OS. w, OFries. w, w, D. wapen, G. waffe, OHG. waffan, wafan, Icel. vapn, Dan. vaaben, Sw. vapen, Goth. w, pl.; of uncertain origin. Cf. Wapentake.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “weapon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details