'armature' originates from French, specifically the word 'armature', ultimately from Latin 'armatura' meaning 'equipment, arms; the act of arming'.

'armatura' in Latin passed into Old French as 'armature' and then into Middle English as 'armature', eventually giving the modern English noun and verb 'armature' and its derivatives such as 'armatured'.

Initially it referred to 'arms, equipment, or the act of arming'; over time it came to mean 'equipment or a framework used for support or reinforcement', the sense that underlies modern uses.