Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “weaponry” come from?

Weaponry derives from English weapon, from Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan, from Proto-Germanic wēpną, from Proto-Indo-European wēbnom, from the root weh₂b-.

weaponry (English): Weapons, collectively

Definitions

  1. Weapons, collectively

Ancestry of “weaponry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishweaponAn instrument of attack or defense in combat or...
2Middle Englishwepento weep
3Old Englishwēpanweep, cry; to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over,...
4Proto-West Germanicwōpijanto weep
5Proto-Germanicwōpijanąto cry out, to lament
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweh₂b-to call, cry, complain; to call, shout, complain

Words derived from “weaponry”

  • bioweaponry
  • superweaponry
  • cyberweaponry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weh₂b- →