# weapon

Pronunciation: US say "WEP-uhn" /ˈwɛp.ən/; UK

## Noun

1. An instrument used for attack or defense in combat or hunting, such as a gun, missile, or sword; also, jokingly, any tool someone favors for a task.
   - Simple: An object such as a gun or sword used to attack or defend. Also, jokingly, any tool someone uses.
   - _Police recovered the weapon used in the robbery from a nearby drain._
   - _Hunters chose their weapons according to the size of the prey._
2. Any instrument or means used to harm or exert control over another person.
   - Simple: Anything used to hurt someone or to gain power over them.
   - _Propaganda became the regime's most effective weapon against dissent._
   - _She turned his own words into a weapon during the argument._
3. A remarkably skilled, capable, or impressive person or thing, worthy of admiration. *(slang, Australia)*
   - Simple: A person or thing that is amazingly good or impressive.
   - _The new signing proved to be a weapon in midfield all season._
   - _Give her any software problem and she's a weapon at solving it._
4. A foolish, contemptible, or incompetent person. *(slang, Ireland, UK)*
   - Simple: A stupid or useless person.
   - _Only a weapon would forget his own passport at the airport._
   - _Their new manager is an absolute weapon, useless under any pressure._
5. A slang term for the human genitals, especially the penis. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude or joking word for the private parts of the body.
   - _He made a crude joke about the size of his weapon, and nobody at the table laughed._
   - _A cold gust made him cover his weapon as he dashed from the sauna._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To equip a person or thing with a weapon; to arm.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, going back to Proto-Germanic *wēpną ("weapon"), which is of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom. It is related to Dutch wapen, German Waffe, Swedish vapen and Icelandic vopn.

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