noun

• The act of supplying (oneself or others) with armor and (now especially) arms and ammunition in preparation for a conflict; the act of providing with the means of defense and attack.
• (in particular, especially in compounds) The affixing and securing on of armor.
• The act of supplying with the equipment, knowledge, authority, or other tools needed for a particular task.
• The act of preparing a tool or a weapon for action; activation.
• (nautical) A piece of tallow or soap put in the cavity and over the bottom of a sounding lead to pick up samples of the bottom of the sea.
• (nautical, chiefly in the plural) One of the red dress cloths formerly hung fore and aft outside of a ship's upper works on holidays, or used as a visual screen during times of action.