| 1. | the upper limb of the human body, esp. the part extending from the shoulder to the wrist. |
| 2. | the upper limb from the shoulder to the elbow. |
| 3. | the forelimb of any vertebrate. |
| 4. | some part of an organism like or likened to an arm. |
| 5. | any armlike part or attachment, as the tone arm of a phonograph. |
| 6. | a covering for the arm, esp. a sleeve of a garment: the arm of a coat. |
| 7. | an administrative or operational branch of an organization: A special arm of the government will investigate. |
| 8. | Nautical. any of the curved or bent pieces of an anchor, terminating in the flukes. |
| 9. | an armrest. |
| 10. | an inlet or cove: an arm of the sea. |
| 11. | a combat branch of the military service, as the infantry, cavalry, or field artillery. |
| 12. | power; might; strength; authority: the long arm of the law. |
| 13. | Typography. either of the extensions to the right of the vertical line of a K or upward from the vertical stem of a Y. |
| 14. | an arm and a leg, a great deal of money: Our night on the town cost us an arm and a leg. |
| 15. | arm in arm, with arms linked together or intertwined: They walked along arm in arm. |
| 16. | at arm's length, not on familiar or friendly terms; at a distance: He's the kind of person you pity but want to keep at arm's length. |
| 17. | in the arms of Morpheus, asleep: After a strenuous day, he was soon in the arms of Morpheus. |
| 18. | on the arm, Slang. free of charge; gratis: an investigation of policemen who ate lunch on the arm. |
| 19. | put the arm on, Slang.
|
| 20. | twist someone's arm, to use force or coercion on someone. |
| 21. | with open arms, cordially; with warm hospitality: a country that receives immigrants with open arms. |

arm 1 (ärm) n.
[Middle English, from Old English earm; see ar- in Indo-European roots.] armed (ärmd) adj. |
arm
|
arm 1 (ärm)
n.
An upper limb of the human body, connecting the hand and wrist to the shoulder.
arm in arm
With one person's arm linked around another's; also, closely allied or intimate, as in Both couples walked arm in arm around the grounds of the estate, and This candidate is arm in arm with the party's liberal wing. The literal expression dates from the late 1300s, when Chaucer so used it: "They went arm in arm together into the garden" (Troilus and Cressida). The figurative usage dates from about 1600. Also see hand in hand.