ARMED _ship_, is a vessel taken into the public service, and equipped in time of war, with artillery, ammunition, and warlike instruments: in the British service an armed ship is commanded by an officer who has the rank of master and commander in the navy, and upon the same establishment with sloops of war, having a lieutenant, master, purser, surgeon, &c. ARMEE, _Fr._ See ARMY. ARMEMENT, _Fr._ a levy of troops, equipage of war, either by land or sea. ARMES _a l’Epreuve_, a French term for armor of polished steel, which was proof against the sword or small arms; but its weight so encumbered the wearer, that modern tacticians have wholly rejected its use. ARMES _à la légére_, _Fr._ light-troops, who were employed to attack in small bodies, as opportunity occurred. See RIFLEMEN, &c. ARMES _des Pieces de Canon_, the French term for the tools used in practical gunnery, as the scoop, rammer, sponge, &c. ARMET, _Fr._ a casque or helmet. ARMIGER, an esquire or armor-bearer, who formerly attended his knight or chieftain in war, combat, or tournament, and who carried his lance, shield, or other weapons with which he fought. ARMILUSTRIUM, in Roman antiquity, a feast observed among the Roman generals, in which they sacrificed, armed, to the sound of trumpets, and other war-like instruments. ARMISTICE, a temporary truce, or cessation of arms for a very short space of time only. ARMORY, a warehouse of arms, or a place where the military habiliments are kept, to be ready for use. ARMOR, denotes all such habiliments as serve to defend the body from wounds, especially darts, a sword, a lance, &c. A complete suit of armor formerly consisted of a helmet, a shield, a cuiras, a coat of mail, a gantlet, &c. now almost universally laid aside. ARMOR BEARER, he that carries the armor of another. ARMORER, a person who makes or deals in armor, or arms; also a person who keeps them clean. ARMS, in a general sense, signify all kinds of weapons, whether used for offence or defence. _Fire_-ARMS, are cannon, mortars, howitzers, grenades, firelocks, rifles, fusils, carbines, guns, and pistols; or any other machine discharged by inflamed powder. Arms may properly be classed under two specific heads-- _Arms of offence_, which include musquet, bayonet, sword, pistol, rifle, &c. _Arms of defence_, which are shields, helmets, coats of mail, or any species of repulsive or impenetrable covering, by which the body of a man is protected. ARMS--Small.