arm

noun

1. The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand.

   “She stood with her right arm extended and her palm forward to indicate “Stop!””

   “When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.”

   “And you stare at me In your Jesus Christ pose Arms held out Like you've been carrying a load”

2. The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow.

   “The arm and forearm are parts of the upper limb in the human body.”

3. A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal.

   “the arms of an octopus”

4. The part of a piece of clothing that covers the arm.

   “[…] one arm of this jacket streamed behind him like the broidered arm of a huzzar’s surcoat.”

   “[…] he noticed that a dark stain had appeared under the arm of her grey silk dress.”

   “Samad made a grab for the boy and caught him by the arm of his shirt.”

5. A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the armrest of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses.

   “The robot arm reached out and placed the part on the assembly line.”

6. A bay or inlet off a main body of water.

   “Shelburne Bay is an arm of Lake Champlain.”

7. A branch of an organization.

   “the cavalry arm of the military service”

   “Congress has asked the Government Accountability Office, its investigative arm, to review the workplace complaints raised by air marshals, said Charles Young, a spokesman for the office.”

8. (figuratively)Power; might; strength; support.

   “the arm of the law”

   “the secular arm”

   “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

9. (slang)A pitcher

   “The team needs to sign another arm in the offseason.”

10. One of the two parts of a chromosome.
11. A group of patients in a medical trial.
12. (usually)A weapon.

    “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

    “The next thing I laid hold of was a brace of pistols, and as I already had a powder horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied with arms.”

13. (in-plural)Heraldic bearings or insignia.

    “The Duke's arms were a sable gryphon rampant on an argent field.”

14. (in-plural, obsolete)War; hostilities; deeds or exploits of war.
15. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of accelerated reply mail, a service of the United States Postal Service.
16. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of adjustable rate mortgage.

verb

1. (obsolete)To take by the arm; to take up in one's arms.

   “And make him with our pikes and partisans / A grave: come, arm him.”

   “Arm your prize; / I know you will not lose him.”

2. (transitive)To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons.

   “The king armed his knights with swords and shields.”

   “They were arming them with spears and shields, putting iron halfhelms on their heads, and arraying them along the inner wall, a rank of snowy sentinels. "Lord Winter has joined us with his levies," one of the sentries [said].”

3. (figuratively, transitive)To supply with the equipment, knowledge, authority, or other tools needed for a particular task; to furnish with capability; to equip.

   “thou getteſt no more of me. For I am ſure thy Office doth not arme thee with ſuch authoritie.”

   “arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;”

   “Many following him, and, in his journeyings, he visited many at their houses, and gave them consolation, arming them with steady resolves, to be patient in suffering and trust to God for their reward; […]”

   “[God] directed them to choose out three hundred only, and, arming them with nothing but trumpets and lamps, to send them by night into the camp of the Midianites.”

   “Q. In other words, you were commissioning men here in Cincinnati to attend the polls, arming them with authority to arrest citizens; men from outside of the city of Cincinnati to arrest citizens of the city of Cincinnati […]”

4. (transitive)To prepare (a tool, weapon, or system) for action; to activate.

   “Remember to arm the alarm system before leaving for work.”

5. (intransitive)To become prepared for action; to activate.

   “Torpedoes were loosed, but the range was too short for them to actually arm, and they bounced harmlessly off the ship as it cut loose with its secondary and antiaircraft guns, smashing anything that it could see.”

6. (transitive)To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency.

   “to arm the hilt of a sword; to arm a hook in angling”

7. (intransitive)To take up weapons; to arm oneself.

   “The sergeant sent out an order to arm the team for the next mission.”

   “Are you arming, comrade Atheists? Are you arming for the fray?”

8. (transitive)To fit (a magnet) with an armature.

adj

1. (Scotland, UK, dialectal)Poor; lacking in riches or wealth.
2. (Scotland, UK, dialectal)To be pitied; pitiful; wretched.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of)Abbreviation of Armenian.

name

1. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of Acorn RISC Machine or Advanced RISC Machine.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of Australian Republic Movement.