Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian arm , (usually) erm (West Frisian earm ), Old Dutch arm (Middle Dutch arm , Dutch arm ), Old Saxon arm (Middle Low German arm ), Old High German arm (Middle High German arm , German Arm ), Old Icelandic armr , Old Swedish armber , ärm (Swedish arm ), Old Danish arm (Danish arm ), Gothic arms < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin armus shoulder, arma (neuter plural) arms n., ancient Greek ἁρμός joint, and (with metathesis) Old Church Slavonic ramo shoulder, further cognate with Sanskrit īrma arm, foreleg of an animal, Avestan arəma, Old Prussian irmo arm (which are < the zero grade of the Indo-European base).Notes on specific senses. In senses 3a and 4 after post-classical Latin use (Vulgate) of classical Latin brāchium arm (see brachial adj.) and its ulterior model Hebrew zĕrōăʿ arm, (in extended use) power, authority, chief source of support or assistance. In sense 10b originally after Italian †brazzo arm (1546 in this sense, in the source translated in quot. 1588; now braccio).

Etymology: Probably in origin a specific use of the singular of arms n., but in later use (especially in uses not related to the army) apprehended as a figurative use of arm n.¹ (compare arm n.¹ 3).

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian arm , (usually) erm poor (West Frisian earm also ‘miserable, wretched’), Old Dutch arm (Middle Dutch arm , Dutch arm ), Old Saxon arm (Middle Low German arm ), Old High German arm (Middle High German arm , German arm ), all in senses ‘poor, needy, miserable’, Old Icelandic armr , Old Swedish armber (Swedish arm ), Old Danish arm (Danish arm ), all in senses ‘miserable, wretched’ (see also note below), Gothic arms miserable, pitiable (in an isolated attestation in 1 Corinthians 15:19: armostai , masculine plural superlative), further etymology uncertain and disputed (see note). The inherited adjective was superseded by its synonym poor adj.Further etymology. The most frequently suggested further etymology tries to derive the Germanic adjective from the same Indo-European base as orb adj. + -m- suffix, with subsequent assimilation and simplification of the consonant cluster, and suggests that the adjective is ultimately etymologically identical with Old Icelandic aumr , Old Swedish ömber , Old Gutnish aumbr , all in sense ‘miserable, wretched’; these adjectives are in turn probably ultimately related to the Indo-European base of the Germanic words for ‘uninhabited, empty’ and ‘desert, solitude’ cited in the etymological note at eath adj. However, F. Heidermanns Etymol. Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive (1993) 109 notes that this suggestion presents both formal and semantic problems. Other suggestions have not been widely accepted and likewise present formal and semantic problems, and many of them rely on a single, and itself etymologically uncertain, postulated cognate in another Indo-European language. See also discussion in A. L. Lloyd & O. Springer Etymol. Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen (1988) I. 334–5. The sense ‘poor’ in the Scandinavian languages. In Old Swedish and Old Danish, the sense ‘poor, needy’ is only attested in late sources and is probably after the corresponding sense of Middle Low German arm . Specific forms. The forms harmes and harmest may reflect association or confusion with harm n. Isolated reborrowing in Scots. Compare Shetland Scots (rare) arm wretched, weakly, emaciated (1908), apparently showing an independent reborrowing < the unattested Norn cognate of the Scandinavian words listed above:1928 A. Horsbøl tr. J. Jakobsen Etymol. Dict. Norn Lang. in Shetland I. 17/2 He's nedder [‘neither’] puir [‘poor’] or arm, he is well off.

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French armer (French armer ) to equip (a person, army, ship, place, etc.) with offensive or defensive weapons (second half of the 10th cent.), to provide (a knight or horse) with armour (1170), to strengthen (a person) for an undertaking (13th cent. or earlier), to assist, give support to (a person) (late 13th cent. or earlier), (of a charge) to be depicted with heraldic attributes of a specified tincture (first half of the 15th cent.), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin armāre to fit weapons or armour upon, to equip, to furnish with arms, to fortify, to make soldiers of, to muster, to incite to war, to strengthen, to fit out, rig < arma arms n. Compare Old Occitan armar (c1200), Catalan armar (14th cent.), Spanish armar (late 12th cent.), Portuguese armar (13th cent.), Italian armare (second half of the 12th cent.).With use in sense 4c compare French armer (1690 in this sense). With use in sense 6 compare French armer (1611 in Cotgrave in this sense (compare quot. 1611); reflexive). In sense 7 after Spanish armar (a1543, in the passage translated in quot. 1574, or earlier in this sense). In Middle English prefixed and unprefixed forms of the past participle are attested (see y- prefix).