Arsenal Meaning
/ˈɑːsənəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA military establishment for the storing, development, manufacturing, testing, or repairing of arms, ammunition, and other war materiel; an armoury.
nounA stock of weapons, especially all the weapons that a nation possesses.
Sentence Examples
The army surrendered its arsenal to the enemy.
They have a powerful military arsenal.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The military stored weapons and ammunition in the underground ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The military base has a large ____ of powerful various weapons.
Word Origin & History
From Italian arsenale, from Arabic دَار الصِّنَاعَة (dār aṣ-ṣināʕa, “manufacturing shop”), from دَار (dār) + صِنَاعَة (ṣināʕa).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Foremost in her arsenal is that smile – so enormous and so absurdly disarming that someone should have worked out a way to harness its power into international conflict resolution."
— 2014 January 21, Hermione Hoby, “Julia Roberts interview for August: Osage County – 'I might actually go to hell for this ...': Julia Roberts reveals why her violent, Oscar-nominated performance in August: Osage County made her feel 'like a terrible person' [print version: 'I might actually go to hell for this ...' (18 January 2014, p. R4)]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review):
"Elyse Saugstad, a professional skier, wore a backpack equipped with an air bag, a relatively new and expensive part of the arsenal that backcountry users increasingly carry to ease their minds and increase survival odds in case of an avalanche."
— 2012 December 26, John Branch, “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Nov 2013:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The military stored weapons and ammunition in the underground ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The military base has a large ____ of powerful various weapons.