arm

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See also: Arm, ARM, Arms, ärm, Ärm, and Arm.

Contents

English[edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English arm, from Old English earm (“arm”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmos (“a fitting, joint”), a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to join, fit together”).

cognates

Akin to Dutch arm, German Arm, Yiddish אָרעם‏ (orem), Norwegian and Swedish arm. Indo-European cognates include Latin armus (“the uppermost part of the arm, shoulder”), Armenian արմունկ (armunk, “elbow”), Ancient Greek ἁρμός (harmós, “joint, shoulder”) and ἅρμα (hárma, “wagon, chariot”), Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬨𐬀‏ (arma), Old Persian [script needed] (arma).

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess[1]:
      When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.
    She stood with her right arm extended and her palm forward to indicate “Stop!”
  2. (anatomy) The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow.
    The arm and forearm are parts of the upper limb in the human body.
  3. A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal.
    the arms of an octopus
  4. A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the arm of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses.
    The robot arm reached out and placed the part on the assembly line.
  5. (geography) A bay or inlet off a main body of water.
    Shelburne Bay is an arm of Lake Champlain.
  6. A branch of an organization.
    the cavalry arm of the military service
  7. (figuratively) Power; might; strength; support.
    the arm of the law
    the secular arm
    • Bible, Isa. lii. 1
      To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
  8. (baseball, slang) A pitcher
    • The team needs to sign another arm in the offseason.
  9. (genetics) One of the two parts of a chromosome.
  10. A group of patients in a medical trial.
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from arm (etym. 1)
Translations[edit]
upper limb from shoulder to elbow — see upper arm
baseball: pitcher — see pitcher

Verb[edit]

arm (third-person singular simple present arms, present participle arming, simple past and past participle armed) (obsolete)

  1. To take by the arm; to take up in one's arms.
    • Shakespeare
      And make him with our pikes and partisans / A grave: come, arm him.
    • Two N. Kins
      Arm your prize; / I know you will not lose him.
  2. To supply with arms or limbs.
    • Beaumont and Fletcher
      His shoulders broad and strong, / Armed long and round.

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English arm (“poor, wretched”), from Old English earm (“poor, miserable, pitiful, wretched”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *erm- (“poor, ill”).

cognates

Akin to Dutch arm (“poor”), German arm (“poor”), Yiddish אָרעם‏ (orem, “poor”), Swedish arm (“poor”).

Adjective[edit]

arm (comparative armer or more arm, superlative armest or most arm)

  1. (Britain dialectal, chiefly Scotland) Poor; lacking in riches or wealth.
    He's neither poor nor arm.
  2. (Britain dialectal, chiefly Scotland) To be pitied; pitiful; wretched.
References[edit]
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Back-formation from arms, from Middle English armes, from Old French armes, from Latin arma (“weapons”), from Proto-Indo-European *ar-mo-, a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to fit together”), hence ultimately cognate with etymology 1.

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. (usually used in the plural) A weapon.
    • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
      The next thing I laid hold of was a brace of pistols, and as I already had a powder horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied with arms.
  2. (in the plural) heraldic bearings or insignia
    The Duke's arms were a sable gryphon rampant on an argent field.
Usage notes[edit]
  • Capitalized, the word is often used in the names of pubs, taverns and the like.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from arm
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

arm (third-person singular simple present arms, present participle arming, simple past and past participle armed)

  1. To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons.
  2. To prepare a tool or a weapon for action; to activate.
    Remember to arm an alarm system.
  3. To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency.
    to arm the hit of a sword; to arm a hook in angling
  4. (figuratively) To furnish with means of defence; to prepare for resistance; to fortify, in a moral sense.
    • Bible, 1 Peter iv. 1
      Arm yourselves […] with the same mind.
  5. To fit (a magnet) with an armature.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Statistics[edit]

Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: broken · trouble · die · #644: arm · wrong · afraid · merely

Anagrams[edit]

Afrikaans[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Dutch arm.

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. arm

Cimbrian[edit]

Noun[edit]

arm m (plural èrme)

  1. arm

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • “arm” in Umberto Martello Martalar, Alfonso Bellotto, Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Setti Communi vicentini, 1st edition, 1974.

Danish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse armr (“arm”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ar-mo- (“arm”).

Noun[edit]

arm c (singular definite armen, plural indefinite arme)

  1. (anatomy) arm
Inflection[edit]
Declension of arm
common
gender		 Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative arm armen arme armene
genitive arms armens armes armenes

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse armr (“arm, poor”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor”).

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor
  2. unfortunate

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of arm
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular arm — —2
Neuter singular armt — —2
Plural arme — —2
Definite attributive1 arme — —
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Further reading[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle Dutch arm, from Old Dutch arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmos (“a fitting, joint”), a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to join, fit together”). Cognate to Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬨𐬀‏ (arma) and Old Persian [script needed] (arma).

Noun[edit]

arm m (plural armen, diminutive armpje n)

  1. (anatomy) arm
    Iemand kneep in mijn arm.
    Someone pinched my arm.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle Dutch arm, from Old Dutch arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erH- (“to be sparse”).

Adjective[edit]

arm (comparative armer, superlative armst)

  1. poor (not rich)
    'arme landen ― poor countries
  2. poor (unfortunate)
    arme stakker… ― poor soul…
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of arm
uninflected arm
inflected arme
comparative armer
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial arm armer het armst
het armste
indefinite m./f. sing. arme armere armste
n. sing. arm armer armste
plural arme armere armste
definite arme armere armste
partitive arms armers —
Derived terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Estonian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *arwaz. Cognate to Finnish arpi. arm is an irregular variant of the root; the expected arb can be seen in dialects.

Noun[edit]

arm (genitive armi, partitive armi)

  1. scar

Declension[edit]

Declension of arm (type riik)
singular plural
nominative arm armid
genitive armi armide
partitive armi arme / armisid
illative armi / armisse armidesse
inessive armis armides
elative armist armidest
allative armile armidele
adessive armil armidel
ablative armilt armidelt
translative armiks armideks
terminative armini armideni
essive armina armidena
abessive armita armideta
comitative armiga armidega

Etymology 2[edit]

Most likely derived from armas. Cognate to Votic armo (“grace, mercy”).

Noun[edit]

arm (genitive armu, partitive armu)

  1. mercy

Declension[edit]

Declension of arm (type riik)
singular plural
nominative arm armud
genitive armu armude
partitive armu arme / armusid
illative armu / armusse armudesse
inessive armus armudes
elative armust armudest
allative armule armudele
adessive armul armudel
ablative armult armudelt
translative armuks armudeks
terminative armuni armudeni
essive armuna armudena
abessive armuta armudeta
comitative armuga armudega

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erH- (“to be sparse”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

arm (comparative ärmer, superlative am ärmsten)

  1. poor (having little money)
  2. poor (to be pitied)
    arm dran sein = to have bad luck
    lieber arm dran als Arm ab - better to have poor luck than to have no more arm (language game)
  3. low (having a small amount)

Antonyms[edit]

Declension[edit]

Positive forms of arm
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist arm sie ist arm es ist arm sie sind arm
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative armer arme armes arme
genitive armen armer armen armer
dative armem armer armem armen
accusative armen arme armes arme
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der arme die arme das arme die armen
genitive des armen der armen des armen der armen
dative dem armen der armen dem armen den armen
accusative den armen die arme das arme die armen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein armer eine arme ein armes (keine) armen
genitive eines armen einer armen eines armen (keiner) armen
dative einem armen einer armen einem armen (keinen) armen
accusative einen armen eine arme ein armes (keine) armen
Comparative forms of arm
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist ärmer sie ist ärmer es ist ärmer sie sind ärmer
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative ärmerer ärmere ärmeres ärmere
genitive ärmeren ärmerer ärmeren ärmerer
dative ärmerem ärmerer ärmerem ärmeren
accusative ärmeren ärmere ärmeres ärmere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der ärmere die ärmere das ärmere die ärmeren
genitive des ärmeren der ärmeren des ärmeren der ärmeren
dative dem ärmeren der ärmeren dem ärmeren den ärmeren
accusative den ärmeren die ärmere das ärmere die ärmeren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein ärmerer eine ärmere ein ärmeres (keine) ärmeren
genitive eines ärmeren einer ärmeren eines ärmeren (keiner) ärmeren
dative einem ärmeren einer ärmeren einem ärmeren (keinen) ärmeren
accusative einen ärmeren eine ärmere ein ärmeres (keine) ärmeren
Superlative forms of arm
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist am ärmsten sie ist am ärmsten es ist am ärmsten sie sind am ärmsten
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative ärmster ärmste ärmstes ärmste
genitive ärmsten ärmster ärmsten ärmster
dative ärmstem ärmster ärmstem ärmsten
accusative ärmsten ärmste ärmstes ärmste
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der ärmste die ärmste das ärmste die ärmsten
genitive des ärmsten der ärmsten des ärmsten der ärmsten
dative dem ärmsten der ärmsten dem ärmsten den ärmsten
accusative den ärmsten die ärmste das ärmste die ärmsten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein ärmster eine ärmste ein ärmstes (keine) ärmsten
genitive eines ärmsten einer ärmsten eines ärmsten (keiner) ärmsten
dative einem ärmsten einer ärmsten einem ärmsten (keinen) ärmsten
accusative einen ärmsten eine ärmste ein ärmstes (keine) ärmsten

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • arm in Duden online

Icelandic[edit]

Noun[edit]

arm

  1. indefinite accusative singular of armur

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish arm n (“armour, battle-equipment, panoply; weapon; army”), from Latin arma.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

arm m (genitive singular airm, nominative plural airm)

  1. weapon; implement, tool
  2. (collective) arms
  3. army

Declension[edit]

Declension of arm

First declension

Bare forms:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative arm airm
Vocative a airm a arma
Genitive airm arm
Dative arm airm

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an t-arm na hairm
Genitive an airm na n-arm
Dative leis an arm

don arm

 leis na hairm

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from arm

Mutation[edit]

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
arm n-arm harm t-arm
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References[edit]

Jersey Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Cognate to Dutch arm (“poor”). Compare German arm (“poor”).

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor
    • 1912, Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsche taal— en letterkunde, volumes 31-32, page 309:
      Hai waz nît tevrêde täus en dârkîs tû râkni arm. […]
      He was not content at home and therefore he became poor. […]

Manx[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish arm n (“armour, battle-equipment, panoply; weapon; army”), from Latin arma.

Noun[edit]

arm m (genitive singular arm, plural armyn)

  1. arm, weapon, armament

Verb[edit]

arm (verbal noun armal, past participle garmal)

  1. arm

References[edit]

  • “arm” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Middle Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Dutch arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz.

Noun[edit]

arm m

  1. arm
Inflection[edit]
Declension of arm (strong)
Singular Plural
nominative arm arme
accusative arm arme
genitive arms arme
dative arm armen
Descendants[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Dutch arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz.

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor, having few possessions
  2. unfortunate, pitiable
Inflection[edit]
Adjective
Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural
Nominative Indefinite arm arme arm arme
Definite arme arme
Accusative armen arme arme arme
Genitive arms armer arms armer
Dative armen armer armen armen
Alternative forms[edit]
Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • “arm (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “arm (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “arm (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929
  • “arm (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English earm (“arm”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *arəm- (“arm”).

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. arm
Descendants[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old English earm (“poor, wretched”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *erm- (“poor, ill”).

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor
  2. miserable, wretched

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse armr.

Adjective[edit]

arm (neuter singular armt, definite singular and plural arme)

  1. poor

Noun[edit]

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

arm m (definite singular armen, indefinite plural armer, definite plural armene)

  1. (anatomy) an arm

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse armr.

Adjective[edit]

arm (neuter singular armt, definite singular and plural arme)

  1. poor (to be pitied)

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse armr. Akin to English arm.

Noun[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

arm m (definite singular armen, indefinite plural armar, definite plural armane)

  1. (anatomy) an arm

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Old English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), whence also Old High German arm, Old Norse armr

Noun[edit]

arm m

  1. arm

Old High German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, whence also Old English earm, Old Norse armr.

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. poor, miserable
Descendants[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, whence also Old English arm, Old Norse armr.

Noun[edit]

arm m

  1. (anatomy) arm
Descendants[edit]
  • Middle High German: arm

References[edit]

  • Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Old Saxon[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, whence also Old English earm, Old Norse armr.

Adjective[edit]

arm (comparative armoro, superlative armost)

  1. miserable, poor
Declension[edit]
Positive forms of arm
Strong declension
gender masculine neuter feminine
case singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative arm arme arm arme arm armu
accusative armana arme arm arme arma armu
genitive armes armarō armes armarō armaro armarō
dative armumu armum armumu armum armaro armum
Weak declension
gender masculine neuter feminine
case singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative armo armu arma armu arma armu
accusative armun armun arma armun armun armun
genitive armun armonō armun armonō armun armonō
dative armun armum armun armum armun armum
Comparative forms of arm (weak only)
gender masculine neuter feminine
case singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative armoro armoru armora armoru armora armoru
accusative armorun armorun armora armorun armorun armorun
genitive armorun armoronō armorun armoronō armorun armoronō
dative armorun armorum armorun armorum armorun armorum
Superlative forms of arm
Strong declension
gender masculine neuter feminine
case singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative armost armoste armost armoste armost armostu
accusative armostana armoste armost armoste armosta armostu
genitive armostes armostarō armostes armostarō armostaro armostarō
dative armostumu armostum armostumu armostum armostaro armostum
Weak declension
gender masculine neuter feminine
case singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative armosto armostu armosta armostu armosta armostu
accusative armostun armostun armosta armostun armostun armostun
genitive armostun armostonō armostun armostonō armostun armostonō
dative armostun armostum armostun armostum armostun armostum


Descendants[edit]
  • Low German: arm

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, whence also Old English earm, Old Norse armr.

Noun[edit]

arm m

  1. arm
Declension[edit]
Declension of arm (masculine a-stem)
singular plural
nominative arm armos
accusative arm armos
genitive armes armō
dative arme armum
instrumental — —


Descendants[edit]
  • Low German: Arm

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin armus.

Noun[edit]

arm n (plural armuri)

  1. (chiefly Oltenia) an animal's haunch, or a thigh on a person

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Scots[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English arm, from Old English earm (“arm”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *arəm- (“arm”).

Alternative forms[edit]

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. arm
  2. arm of the sea
  3. bar, beam

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English arm (“poor”), from Old English earm (“poor”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *erm- (“poor, ill”).

Adjective[edit]

arm (comparative mair arm, superlative maist arm)

  1. poor; wretched
  2. weak; thin; sickly

Verb[edit]

arm (third-person singular present arms, present participle armin, past armt, past participle armt)

  1. to crawl about miserably.

Etymology 3[edit]

From Middle English armen (“to arm”), from Old French armer (“to arm”), from Latin armō (“to arm”). More at arm.

Verb[edit]

arm (third-person singular present arms, present participle armin, past armt, past participle armt)

  1. to arm, outfit with weapons or armour

Etymology 4[edit]

From Old Norse armr (“wing of a body”).

Noun[edit]

arm (plural arms)

  1. the tail end of something, especially of fishing line

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish arm n (“armour, battle-equipment, panoply; weapon; army”), from Latin arma.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

arm m (genitive singular airm, plural airm)

  1. army
  2. arm, weapon

Synonyms[edit]

Usage notes[edit]
  • Arm is usually used to refer to the entire fighting force of a nation etc, while armailt usually refers to the an "army" involved in a particular battle etc:
    Arm Bhreatainn anns a' Chogadh Mhòr - British Army in the First World War (the armed forces as a whole)
    armailt Bhreatannach ann an Afraga - British Army in Africa

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, ISBN 0 901771 92 9
  • “arm” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Swedish[edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse armr (“arm”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ermos, *h₂ŕ̥mos.

Noun[edit]

arm c

  1. (anatomy) arm; the body part
  2. arm; something extending from a body
Declension[edit]
Declension of arm 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative arm armen armar armarna
Genitive arms armens armars armarnas
Derived terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse armr (“poor”), from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ermos, *h₂ŕ̥mos.

Adjective[edit]

arm

  1. (dated) poor; to be pitied
  2. (dated) poor; with no possessions or money
Declension[edit]
Inflection of arm
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular arm armare armast
Neuter singular armt armare armast
Plural arma armare armast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 arme armare armaste
All arma armare armaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.
Derived terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

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