Where does “alarm” come from?
Alarm comes from Middle English alarom, from Middle French alarme, from Italian all'arme! meaning "to arms!", from Latin arma meaning "weapons," from Proto-Indo-European h₂(e)rmos.
alarm (English): A summons to arms, as on the approach of an...
Definitions
- A summons to arms, as on the approach of an...
Ancestry of “alarm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | alarme | — |
| 2 | Middle French | alarme | — |
| 3 | Italian | all'arme | a command to take up arms and be ready to fight: to arms! |
| 4 | Latin | arma | defensive arms, armor/armour, shields, weapons of... |
| 5 | Late Latin | armistitium | — |
| 6 | Latin | sistere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stísteh₂ti | to be standing up, to be getting up |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |