arme

Pronunciation

• IPA: /aʁm/^[1]

Forms

arme f (plural armes)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin arma (“weapon”), the classical neuter plural Latin arma (“arms; tools”) taken as a feminine singular, as in all the Romance languages.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Rey calls it an early borrowing.^[7] The Latin word probably comes from armus (“upper arm, shoulder”): “arma” were first what equips or extends the arm in a fight.^[7][8] Rey connects “armus” with Ancient Greek ἁρμός (harmós) and Sanskrit ईर्म (īrmá) and with Latin ars, artus and rītus, Wiktionary takes “arma” back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmos.^[7][1]

Cognate with Italian arma, Spanish arma, Portuguese arma and Catalan arma.^[9][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the plural armes means a knight's armour and equipment: Mout se fait fier de ses armes porter (“he takes great pride in bearing his arms”); the poem also has the cry as armes ! “to arms!”.^[7][5]

Semantic evolution

Once armure had appeared in the 12th century, armes could mean above all offensive weapons; the singular is found from the 14th century.^[7][8] Kinds of weapons were named as techniques changed: armes moulues (1247), armes de trait (1562), armes à feu (1671, after Provençal armas de fuech, 1567), down to nuclear weapons.^[7]

Gens d'armes “soldiers” (1306), the source of gendarme, homme d'armes and fait d'armes “feat of arms” are in Joinville's time, rendre les armes is found about 1200 and mettre bas les armes in 1606.^[7] Aux armes is recorded in 1465 and aux armes, citoyens in 1790, in what became La Marseillaise.^[7] alarme was borrowed from Italian all'arme “to arms!”.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Armes “armour”, as armes ! in the Chanson de Roland.^[7]
• c. 1200 – Rendre les armes.^[7]
• 1306 – Gens d'armes.^[7]
• 14th century – The singular arme.^[8]
• 1465 – Aux armes.^[7]
• 1671 – Armes à feu.^[7]
• 1790 – Aux armes, citoyens.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A weapon: arme à feu, arme blanche, port d'armes.^[8][4]
2. (plural) Arms, the military life: prendre les armes, être sous les armes.^[7][5]
3. (plural, heraldry) A coat of arms: les armes de la ville.^[10]
4. Rendre les armes, déposer les armes: to surrender, passer par les armes: to execute by shooting.^[7][4]
5. Fait d'armes: a feat of arms, aux armes !: to arms!^[7]

Related words

• armer
• armure
• alarme
• gendarme
• Latin arma

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 238a
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard