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armory

armory

5 5.3
All the weapons and military equipment a country has
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːrməri/
  • US
translation icon : arsenal
  • This must be the armory.
  • weapons in the armory
  • national armory

Examples

  • Well, I guess the Russians stock a better armory.

  • You will pick up your weapons in the armory before moving out.

  • I see you found their armory.

  • How far down is the armory?

  • When did the Russians take the armory?

  • "We've built a fair armory," I said.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I have 18 rifles in my armory, only three of which are loaded with a cartridge.

    Blog text (21)
  • I will lead men against the armory at Migdol and get swords for the people!

  • They were doing intelligence work that involved finding missing weapons stolen from military armories.

    Blog text (17)
  • The government increased funding to ensure the national armory was well-stocked with modern weapons.

Synonyms

arsenal
vsarmory
85 5.2

The complete collection of weapons a country or group has

has the same meaning but is the alternative common term
weaponry
vsarmory
82 4.2

Tools used for fighting that belong to a country or group, like guns and swords

is broader, covering all weapons and military equipment owned nationally
hardware
vsarmory
  • Literature
69 5.9

Military machines and weapons used in war, like tanks and missiles

includes those heavy items plus lighter weapons and general equipment
ordnance
vsarmory
  • Specialized
30 8.7

Weapons and ammunition used by an army, especially large guns

is wider, covering all weapons and military equipment a country possesses
armament
vsarmory
21 7.0

Weapons and equipment like guns, tanks and ships that an army uses

is broader, meaning all weapons and military equipment a country possesses
military arsenal
vsarmory
1 4.3

A collection of weapons and equipment that a country keeps for war or to protect itself

is the broader general term for all such national holdings
9.1

A reserve of weapons and military supplies kept by a government

is the general total holdings rather than only kept reserves

How Extensive

armory
  • US
5 5.3
stockpile
45 4.2
cache
43 6.0

Surface Forms

armory singular
armories plural
armouries plural
armoury singular

Morphology

armory = arm (transparent) = arm + ory

The sense 'the weapons a country possesses' is a metonymic extension of the place/collection sense formed from 'arm' + '-ory', so learners can link it to 'arms'.

Etymology

Armory also came to mean all the arms a country has, from Latin arma 'weapons'. That's why we talk about a nation's armory when we mean its total supply of military equipment.