Etymology Dictionary

ALARM,  a call to arms.  (F.,—Ital.,—Lat.)   M.E. alarme, used interjectionally, to call men to arms.   'Alarme!  Alarme! quath that lord;' P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 92.—F. alarme, a call to arms.   Cotgrave gives 'Alarme, an alarum.'   Brachet says that the word alarme was first introduced into French in the 16th century, but this must be a mistake, as it occurs in the Glossary to Bartsch's Crestomathie, which contains no piece later than the 15th century, and it is obvious that it must even have come to England before the close of the 14th century.   The form, however, is not French, as the O.F. form was as armes; and we actually find as armes in Alisaunder, ed. Weber, 3674.   It was obviously merely borrowed from Italian, and may very well have become generally known at the time of the crusades.—Ital. all'arme, to arms! a contracted form of alle arme, where alle stands for a le, lit. 'to the,' and arme is the pl. of arma, a weapon, not now used in the singular.   The corresponding Latin words would be ad illa arma, but it is remarkable that the Lat. pl. arma is neuter, whilst the Ital. pl. arme is feminine.  Ducange, however, notes a Low Lat. sing. arma, of the feminine gender; and thus Ital. all'arme answers to Low Lat. ad illas armas.   See Arms.   Der. alarm-ist.   ¶ Alarm is a doublet of alarum, q.v.