'armorer' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'armurier', where the root 'arm-' (from Latin 'arma') meant 'arms, weapons'.

'armurier' changed into Middle English as 'armourer' and eventually became the modern English forms 'armorer' (US) and 'armourer' (UK).

Initially, it meant 'maker or keeper of arms and armour'; over time the core meaning remained but broadened to include modern roles such as 'military/police weapons technician' and suppliers of firearms.