Etymograph

English

armada

Armada comes from Spanish armada ‘fleet, navy’, from Latin armō ‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’, and ultimately from arma.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarma1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarmō1‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500armāta1feminine past participle of armō
  4. Spanishc. 1500–presentarmada1‘fleet, navy’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2024armada1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English armada
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Kathleen Scavone, Discover Napa Valley's diverse wildlife on a winter walk: “During some wet years you may be privy to…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarmaWiktionary, English armada
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarmōWiktionary, English armada‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500armātaWiktionary, English armadafeminine past participle of armō
  4. Spanishc. 1500–presentarmadaWiktionary, English armada‘fleet, navy’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2024armadaWiktionary, English armada. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Kathleen Scavone, Discover Napa Valley's diverse wildlife on a winter walk: “During some wet years you may be privy to…”

Linked words

through Latin arma

armistice, 10 more

through Latin armō ‘to furnish with weapons, arm, equip’

army, armor, armament, armature, 4 more

Today it means

noun A fleet of warships, especially with reference to the Spanish Armada.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “armada”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin arma / armada

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