English
armada
Armada comes from Spanish armada ‘fleet, navy’, from Latin armō ‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’, and ultimately from arma.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarma
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEarmō‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500armātafeminine past participle of armō
- Spanishc. 1500–presentarmada‘fleet, navy’
- Englishearliest quotation 2024same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarma
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEarmō‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500armātafeminine past participle of armō
- Spanishc. 1500–presentarmada‘fleet, navy’
- Englishearliest quotation 2024same form
Earliest quotation: 2024, Kathleen Scavone, Discover Napa Valley's diverse wildlife on a winter walk: “During some wet years you may be privy to…”
Linked words
through Latin arma
through Latin armō ‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’
Today it means
noun A fleet of warships, especially with reference to the Spanish Armada.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin arma / armada