Armory Is Where Arms Are Kept, and a Study of Coats of Arms
An armory stores weapons. The same spelling names the heraldic study of coats of arms, which is a different subject entirely.
An armory is a place where weapons are stored or made — *armoury* in British spelling. A second, older sense belongs to heraldry: armory is the study and description of coats of arms. Both come from *arms*, which in heraldry means the design on a shield rather than anything you fight with.
- A weapons store. *The regimental armory.*
- A weapons factory. *A federal armory.*
- Heraldry. *A treatise on armory.*
- A stock of resources. *An armory of arguments.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| American | armory | The state armory. |
| British | armoury | The castle armoury. |
| Plural | armories | Two armories. |
| Related | arsenal | A naval arsenal. |
| Related | armour | Plate armour. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The armory supplied the regiment.Storage.
- Springfield Armory made military rifles.Manufacture.
- Another weapon in his armory.Figurative.
Armory, arsenal, magazine
- Armory — where weapons are stored or made
- Arsenal — a larger store, often naval or state-run
- Magazine — where ammunition and explosives are kept
- Armoury — the British spelling of armory
- Ordnance — military weapons and supplies as a category
From Old French *armoire*, from Latin *armarium*, a storage place, from *arma*, weapons. *Arsenal* arrived separately from Arabic *dar as-sina'a*, house of manufacture.
Armory or armoury?
Armory is American, armoury British. Both mean the same thing.
Is an arsenal bigger than an armory?
Usually. Arsenal suggests a large state establishment; armory more often names a local store or a manufacturing site.