English
weapon
Weapon comes from Middle English wepen ‘something adopted as a weapon’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *wēpną.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēpnąreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wāpnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wǣpn
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wepen‘something adopted as a weapon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1868weapon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēpnąreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wāpnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wǣpn
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wepen‘something adopted as a weapon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1868weapon
Earliest quotation: 1868, Henry Wilson: “[…] the friends of the country and of the…”
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *wāpn
through Middle English wepen ‘something adopted as a weapon’
Today it means
noun An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *wēpną / weapon