# weapon

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɛp.ən/ · frequency rank #2,812

## Definitions
1. An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
2. An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
3. A tool of any kind.
4. An idiot, an oaf, a fool, a tool; a contemptible or incompetent person.
5. A very skilled, competent, or capable person or thing worthy of awe.
6. The human genitals.

## Etymology
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, from Proto-West Germanic *wāpn, from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots weepon (“weapon”), North Frisian woopen (“weapon”), Saterland Frisian Woapen (“weapon”), West Frisian wapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Alemannic German Waaffe (“tool”), Dutch wapen (“weapon”), German Waffe (“weapon”) and Wappen (“coat of arms”), Luxembourgish Waff (“weapon”), Yiddish וואָפֿן (vofn, “weapon”), Danish våben (“weapon; coat of arms”), Faroese vákn, vápn (“weapon; whaling lance”), Icelandic vopn (“weapon”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk våpen (“weapon”), Swedish vapen (“weapon; coat of arms”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐍀𐌽 (wēpn, “weapon”).

## Easily confused with
- **Weston** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-weston)
- **Wesson** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-wesson)
- **Weldon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-weldon)
- **weapons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-weapons)
- **Wheaton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-wheaton)
- **weaponry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weapon-vs-weaponry)
- **WaPo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wapo-vs-weapon)
- **wean** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wean-vs-weapon)
- **wagon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wagon-vs-weapon)
- **weaken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weaken-vs-weapon)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ewapon`, `waepon`, `weaopn`, `weapno`, `weaponn`, `weappon`, `wepaon`, `wweapon`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/weapon