armor

Meanings

1. A protective covering, historically made of metal, worn to guard the body in battle.
2. Protective plating on a vehicle or ship.

Example sentences

• "The knight put on his heavy armor."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

• "Soldiers wear body armor in danger."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "The tank has thick armor."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

• "The museum has a full suit of armor."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• armour : Armour is the British spelling. Armor is the American spelling. The meaning is the same.
• shield : A shield is carried in the hand to block blows. Armor is worn on the body.

Word family and forms

Forms: armors

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "armor".

• a suit of armor
• body armor
• armor plating
• armor-piercing
• wear armor
• armored vehicle

Origin

Armor came into English in the 1200s and 1300s from Anglo-Norman armure and Old French armeure, which come from Latin armatura, an arming or equipment. The ending changed to match other English words ending in -or. The root is arma, the Latin word for arms or weapons.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Armor has arm inside it. Armor protects your arms, and the rest of you too.

Test yourself

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