Verb

wappnen

Translation

to arm, to brace oneself, to prepare

Man muss sich gegen die Kälte wappnen.

One must arm oneself against the cold.

Er wappnete sich mit Geduld für das lange Warten.

He armed himself with patience for the long wait.

to arm oneself ((against sth.)) We have to arm ourselves against the competition.

to arm oneself ((with sth.)) She armed herself with arguments for the debate.

Synonyms: rüsten (to arm), vorbereiten (to prepare), ausrüsten (to equip); Antonyms: entwaffnen (to disarm)

Derived from 'das Wappen' (coat of arms), which is related to 'die Waffe' (weapon). The original sense is to equip with weapons or armor.

Picture a knight putting on his armor, which features his 'Wappen' (coat of arms), to 'wappnen' (arm/prepare) himself for a fight.