Armor and Armour Split Across the Atlantic
Armor is protective covering. The -or spelling is American and the -our British, and the difference goes back to a deliberate reform.
Armor is protective covering, worn or fitted. The two spellings come from a deliberate choice: Noah Webster's American dictionaries of the early 1800s dropped the u in *-our* words, arguing it was a needless French import, and American publishing followed him. Britain kept *armour*, *colour*, *honour* and the rest, and the split has been stable ever since.
- Protective covering. *Body armor.*
- Armoured vehicles collectively. *The armor division.*
- A protective layer. *Armor plating.*
- Armour — the British spelling. *A suit of armour.*
- Armadillo — Spanish for little armoured one. *A nine-banded armadillo.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (US) | armor | Steel armor. |
| Noun (UK) | armour | Plate armour. |
| Adjective | armoured | An armoured car. |
| Agent | armourer | The castle armourer. |
| Latin | armatura | Equipment. |
- The vehicle has additional armor.American.
- A full suit of plate armour.British.
- A chink in his armour.Idiom: a weak point.
Webster's spelling reforms that stuck
- -our to -or — colour, honour, armour
- -re to -er — centre, theatre, metre
- -ise to -ize — though Oxford also prefers -ize
- Doubled l — travelled became traveled
- Many others failed — tung for tongue never caught on
Old French *armeure*, from Latin *armatura*, equipment, from *arma*, arms. The spelling split dates from Webster's American dictionaries in the early 1800s.
Why does American English drop the u?
Noah Webster removed it deliberately in his dictionaries, arguing it was an unnecessary French survival. American printers adopted his spellings.
Where does a chink in the armour come from?
From a gap between plates of medieval armour, where a blade could reach the wearer.