*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of armed

Etymology tree English arm Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Old English -ed Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz Old English -od Mid

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

simple past and past participle of arm

adj

Equipped, especially with a weapon. · Equipped with a gun. · Prepared for use; loaded. · Furnished with something that serves to add strength, force, or efficiency.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English arm Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Old English -ed Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz Old English -od Middle English -ed English -ed English armed From arm (“to equip with a weapon”) + -ed.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "ety",
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        "2": ":af",
        "3": "arm<id:weapon><t:to equip with a weapon>",
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        "text": "+",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish arm\nProto-Indo-European *-tósder.\nOld English -ed\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos\nProto-Germanic *-ōdaz\nOld English -od\nMiddle English -ed\nEnglish -ed\nEnglish armed\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-h₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\", \"pos\" : \"suffix originally used to form collective nouns, extended in Late PIE to also be a marker of feminine gender\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"ine-pro\", \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"pos\" : \"suffix\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eh₂tos\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ōdaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-od\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ed\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"armed\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"equipped\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"armed\" id=\"English:_equipped\">\nFrom arm (“to equip with a weapon”) + -ed."
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    ],
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      "-ed",
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      "*-h₂",
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    ],
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      "*-éh₂",
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    ],
    [
      "*-tós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-eh₂tos",
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    ],
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      "*-ōdaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōdaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectival"
    ],
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      "-od",
      "-od#Old_English"
    ],
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        "simple past and past participle of arm"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Having an arm or arms, often of a specified number or type. · Possessing arms of a specified number or type. · Having horns, claws, teeth, a beak, etc. in a particular tincture, as contrasted with that of the animal as a whole.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- Proto-Indo-European *h₂érmos Proto-Germanic *armaz Proto-West Germanic *arm Old English earm Middle English arm English arm Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Old English -ed Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz Old English -od Middle English -ed English -ed English armed From arm (“the upper limb of the body”) + -ed.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "arm<id:fit><t:the upper limb of the body>",
        "4": "-ed<id:having>",
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        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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  ],
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      "*h₂er-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂er-"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂érmos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂érmos"
    ],
    [
      "*armaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/armaz#Proto-Germanic:_fit"
    ],
    [
      "*arm",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/arm#Proto-West_Germanic:_fit"
    ],
    [
      "earm",
      "earm#Old_English:_fit"
    ],
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      "arm",
      "arm#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "arm",
      "arm#English:_fit"
    ],
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      "*-tós",
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    ],
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    ],
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      "*-éh₂",
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    ],
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      "*-tós",
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    ],
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      "*-eh₂tos",
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    ],
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      "*-ōdaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōdaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectival"
    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "-ed",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for armed →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-YXJtZWQ