Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An instrument of attack or defense in combat, as a gun, missile, or sword.
  • noun Zoology A part or organ, such as a claw or stinger, used by an animal in attack or defense.
  • noun A means used to defend against or defeat another.
  • transitive verb To supply with weapons or a weapon; arm.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To arm with weapons.
  • noun Any instrument of offense; anything used, or designed to be used, in attacking an enemy, as a sword, a dagger, a club, a rifle, or a cannon.
  • noun Any object, particular, or instrumentality that may be of service in a contest or struggle, or in resisting adverse circumstances, whether for offense or defense; anything that may figuratively be classed among arms.
  • noun In zoology, any part or organ of the body which is or may be used as a means of attack or defense, as horns, hoofs, claws, spurs, stings, spines, teeth, electric organs, etc.; an arm or armature.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An instrument of offensive of defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying, defeating, or injuring an enemy, as a gun, a sword, etc.
  • noun Fig.: The means or instrument with which one contends against another.
  • noun (Bot.) A thorn, prickle, or sting with which many plants are furnished.
  • noun See under Concealed.
  • noun [Obs.] a salve which was supposed to cure a wound by being applied to the weapon that made it.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
  • noun An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a means of persuading or arguing
  • noun any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpen.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpen ("weapon, sword, arms, penis"), from Proto-Germanic *wēpnan (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom. Cognate with Scots wapyn, wappen ("weapon"), West Frisian wapen ("weapon"), Dutch wapen ("weapon"), Low German wapen ("weapon"), German Waffe ("weapon"), Swedish vapen ("weapon"), Icelandic vopn ("weapon").

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Examples

Comments

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  • My friend uses this as a badass exclamation e.g. "Dude that band was weapon!" Try it sometime - it's very satisfying.

    October 4, 2007

  • That is an insane definition.

    September 14, 2008

  • That's weirdnet, Arkracer.

    September 14, 2008