armoury

EN
noun

🇺🇸

/ˈɑːrməri/

🇺🇸

/ˈɑːrməri/

🇬🇧

/ˈɑːrməri/

🇬🇧

/ˈɑːrməri/

Word Forms

Plural

armouries

Description

An armoury is a secure building or room where weapons, ammunition, and military equipment are stored, maintained, or issued — think of it as the 'toolshed' for soldiers, but for rifles, cannons, and body armour instead of hammers and nails. In British English, it's spelled 'armoury'; in American English, it's 'armory'.

Examples

The historic Tower of London houses one of the world's oldest royal armouries.

All cadets must report to the campus armoury for their rifle inspection every Friday.

During the restoration, archaeologists discovered 17th-century muskets hidden in the castle's underground armoury.

The museum's new exhibition features medieval armour and weapons from its original armoury collection.

Security at the naval base's main armoury was increased after the intelligence briefing.

Root

arm

Comes from the Old French 'arme' and ultimately from the Latin 'arma', meaning 'weapons', 'tools of war', or 'military equipment'. It carries the core concept of weapons, defense, or martial readiness. Examples include arm, armament, disarm, rearm, armature, armor.

orium

Comes from the Latin suffix '-orium' (neuter of '-orius'), meaning 'a place for' or 'a location associated with a particular function or activity'. It denotes a building or facility dedicated to a specific purpose. Examples include auditorium (a place for hearing/audience), crematorium (a place for cremation), laboratory (a place for work/labour), conservatory (a place for conservation).