# arming

Pronunciation: US say "AHRM-ing" /ˈɑɹmɪŋ/; say "AHM-ing" UK /ˈɑːmɪŋ/, AUS /ˈɐːmɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of arm. — present participle and gerund of arm
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of arm. Use this form for the ongoing action of giving out weapons or getting ready to fight.
   - _The government began arming its border guards after the raids._
   - _Arming civilians during the siege proved deeply controversial._

## Noun

2. The act of supplying oneself or others with weapons, ammunition, and armor in preparation for conflict; the provision of the means of defense and attack.
   - Simple: The act of giving people weapons and protection so they are ready for a fight.
   - _The arming of the rebels with modern rifles shifted the balance of power._
   - _International observers condemned the rapid arming of both sides in the dispute._
3. The act of preparing a tool or weapon for action; the activation that makes it ready to function.
   - Simple: The act of switching a tool or weapon on so it is ready to work.
   - _The arming of the warhead requires two separate codes entered in sequence._
   - _Engineers test the arming of each detonator before deployment._
4. The process of equipping a person or group for a particular task, whether with tools, knowledge, authority, or other means.
   - Simple: The act of giving someone the tools, knowledge, or power needed for a job.
   - _The mentorship program focused on the arming of young leaders with practical knowledge._
   - _Legal reform meant the arming of citizens with new rights and protections._
5. The act of affixing and securing armor in place on the body.
   - Simple: The act of putting armor on a person and fastening it in place.
   - _The squire assisted with the arming, buckling each plate into place._
   - _A full arming of plate armor could take nearly an hour._
6. A piece of tallow or soap placed in the hollow at the bottom of a sounding lead to pick up samples from the sea floor.
   - Simple: Soap or fat put on the end of a weighted line to pick up bits of the sea floor.
   - _The leadsman renewed the arming each time before sounding the depth._
   - _Grains of sand clinging to the arming revealed a sandy bottom._
7. One of the red cloths formerly hung along a ship's sides for decoration on holidays or used to screen the crew from view during battle.
   - Simple: A red cloth once hung on a ship's outside for display on special days or to screen the crew in battle.
   - _On the king's birthday, an arming was draped along each side of the ship._
   - _The gun crews worked behind the armings, hidden from the enemy's view._

## Origin

This word comes from the Middle English armyng.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/arming (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).