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Glite Dictionary
arm band

arm band

3 3.0
A band worn around the upper arm to show a role or for decoration
  • noun
  • /ɑrm bænd/
: brazalete
  • Shoot at anyone with a green arm band.

They put an arm band around the image of George Washington.

Examples

  • They put an arm band around the image of George Washington.

    Megyn Kelly

  • Wealthy women might also wear arm bands, like this stylish pair garnished with mermaids.

  • - See this arm band?

    Stripes (1981)

  • We had to wear arm bands with the Star of David and I remember when my mother first put the arm band on me.

  • Only red or gold arm bands are allowed on the fourth level.

    Gog (1954)

  • Also this costume that I'm wearing, it came with these gold arm bands and this little gold headpiece.

  • He's got some chic arm bands he wants me to wear next week.

  • Students who wore arm bands to protest the Vietnam War were singled out from students who wore other symbols of protest.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Yet there is no evidence to suggest that prohibitions surrounding the most prestigious brass ornaments, notably the neck rings and the arm bands, were ever eased.

    Academic text (1991)

  • At the charity event, everyone was required to wear a colored arm band to show their support.

Synonyms

armband
vsarm band
14 3.5

A band worn on the upper arm to show group membership, rank, or mourning

is used for decoration or general signifying rather than only formal symbols
armlet
vsarm band
1 7.6

A band of metal or cloth worn around the arm as a decoration

is also used to signify identity or meaning as well as decoration
armilla
vsarm band
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A metal bracelet worn around the wrist or arm long ago

is a modern upper arm accessory used for decoration or to signify

How Buoyant

life jacket
9 1.4
life buoy
  • UK
1 3.2
life belt
  • UK
2 1.9
float
48 1.1
arm band
3 3.0
beach ball
16 1.0

Surface Forms

arm band singular
arm bands plural

Morphology

arm + band

The meaning 'a band worn around the upper arm' is directly and compositionally derived from 'arm' (upper limb) + 'band' (strip encircling an object); the noun–noun combination clearly indicates a band located on the arm. This is a common, transparent compounding pattern found across languages and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Arm band comes from the simple idea of a band worn around the arm. People have long put a cloth or metal band on the arm to show they belong to a group or have a special role, so an arm band today means 'a band worn on the arm' or a small decoration that shows something about the wearer.