Etymograph

English

munition

Munition comes from Latin mūnitiō ‘a defence, fortification’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to strengthen’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to strengthen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móyni1reconstructed
  3. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmoene1
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoenia2‘city walls, defensive walls, or walls in general’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnīre2‘fortify, defend (with a wall)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnitiō2‘a defence, fortification’by way of French munition
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610munition2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin moenia
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English munition
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610, The Second Tome of the Holie Bible, Doway: Laurence Kellam: “I wil stand vpon my watch, and fixe my…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin moenia‘to strengthen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móyniWiktionary, Latin moeniareconstructed
  3. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmoeneWiktionary, Latin moenia
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoeniaWiktionary, English munition‘city walls, defensive walls, or walls in general’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnīreWiktionary, English munition‘fortify, defend (with a wall)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnitiōWiktionary, English munition‘a defence, fortification’by way of French munition
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610munitionWiktionary, English munition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610, The Second Tome of the Holie Bible, Doway: Laurence Kellam: “I wil stand vpon my watch, and fixe my…”

Formed from munite + -ion

Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to strengthen’

Proto-Indo-European *móyni

Old Latin moene

Latin moenia ‘walls’

Latin mūnīre ‘to wall round, fortify’

English munite

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to strengthen’

mean, met, common, minute, minister, community, minor, commission, mess, meal, ministry, min, menu, compromise, missile, commit, mere, mutual, minus, communication, dismiss, communist, premise, communicate, immune, mole, mayhem, noodle, moor, communal, communism, mural, intermittent, immunity, municipality, commune, mite, omit, communion, minstrel, 76 more

through Proto-Indo-European *móyni

ammo, 3 more

Today it means

noun Materials of war: armaments, weapons and ammunition.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “munition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin moenia. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / munition

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