weapon

Meanings

Noun

• An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords; arm.
• An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
• A tool of any kind.
• An idiot, an oaf, a fool, a tool; a contemptible or incompetent person.
• Any very skilled, competent, or capable person or thing worthy of awe.

Verb

• To equip with a weapon; to arm.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• assault weapon
• anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW)
• anti-tank weapon
• atomic weapon
• biological weapon
• bioweapon
• chemical weapon
• cold weapon
• conventional weapon
• crew-served weapon
• cyberweapon
• doomsday weapon
• gun
• mass destruction weapon
• murder weapon
• nuclear weapon
• pistol
• radiological weapon
• ranged weapon
• section automatic weapon
• siege weapon
• space weapon
• squad automatic weapon
• superweapon
• sword
• thermonuclear weapon
• weapon of mass destruction (WMD)
• weapon of wholesale destruction

Origin

• From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, from Proto-Germanic *wēpną ("weapon"), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom. Cognate with Scots wapyn, wappen, West Frisian wapen ("weapon"), Dutch wapen ("weapon; coat of arms"), Low German wapen ("weapon"), German Waffe ("weapon") and Wappen, Danish våben ("weapon; coat of arms") Swedish vapen ("weapon"), Norwegian Bokmål våpen ("weapon"), Icelandic vopn ("weapon").