Etymograph

English

weapon

Weapon comes from Middle English wepen ‘something adopted as a weapon’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *wēpną.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēpną1reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wāpn1reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wǣpn1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wepen1‘something adopted as a weapon’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1868weapon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English weapon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1868, Henry Wilson: “[…] the friends of the country and of the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēpnąWiktionary, English weaponreconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wāpnWiktionary, English weaponreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wǣpnWiktionary, English weapon
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wepenWiktionary, English weapon‘something adopted as a weapon’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1868weaponWiktionary, English weapon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1868, Henry Wilson: “[…] the friends of the country and of the…”

Linked words

through Proto-West Germanic *wāpn

weeping

through Middle English wepen ‘something adopted as a weapon’

weep, 2 more

Today it means

noun An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “weapon”. 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-Germanic *wēpną / weapon

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