What is the Latin word for arms?

The usual Latin words for “arms” are arma, tēlum, senectūs; also lēx, missilis, armō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“arms” in Latin

armaarms, weapons of war, weaponry, instruments (implements of warfare); military action, war (arms as instruments of policy tēluma spear (whether used for throwing or thrusting); a missile or projectile weapon: an arrow, javelin, dart etc.; a missil senectūsold age, senility lēxthe legal machinery of a state, the law; a law, statute, bill; the laws regarded as a body, the constitution missilisThat may be thrown armōto furnish with weapons, arm, equip; fit out; mobilize; to excite, stir up, rouse, provoke; to arm, equip, furnish inermisunarmed, defenceless; toothless

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

arms

arma (general term, but of defensive armor, not applied to missiles tela: also figuratively, as arma prudentiae, senectutis, legum): tela (missiles). Furnished with arms, armatus: armis instructus: without arms, inermis: to take arms, ad arma ire: arma capere (to arm one’s self against anybody, contra aliquem): arma sumere (especially when other means might have been tried, contra aliquem); descendere ad vim atque ad arma: to seize one’s arms, arma arripere: they ran to arms, concursum est ad arma: to arms! ad arma! to sound to arms! ad arma conclamare! (Liv.): to lay down arms, arma deponere; armis discedere: to fling away their arms, arma abjicere: to take away any bodies arms, arma alicui auferre: to be under arms, in armis esse: to have 20,000 men under arms, milia viginti in armis habere: to grow old in arms, in armis consenescere: to bear arms against anybody, arma contra aliquem ferre: to turn one’s arms against anybody, arma in aliquem vertere: to defend one’s country by arms, patriam armis ac virtute defendere: to give up one’s arms, arma tradere (Nep.): to defend one’s self by the arms of prudence, armis prudentiae se tueri ac defendere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for arms?: The usual Latin words for “arms” are arma, tēlum, senectūs; also lēx, missilis, armō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.