arsenal

Arsenal is a term that can refer to a place where weapons and ammunition are stored or manufactured, a collection of weapons, or metaphorically a stockpile of resources. It is also used as the proper name for several organizations and places, most famously Arsenal Football Club.

The word arrives in English via the Old Italian arsenale meaning a storehouse for arms, with similar forms in French and other European languages. It denotes a facility and, in military contexts, a national arsenal.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional club based in London, England. Founded in 1886 as Dial Square by munitions workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, it moved to North London in 1913 and adopted the name Arsenal. The club has played at the Emirates Stadium since 2006, after leaving Highbury. Known as the Gunners, it wears red shirts with white sleeves and has a fierce rivalry with Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal has won thirteen top‑flight league titles, fourteen FA Cups, and two League Cups, and achieved notable success including an unbeaten league season in 2003–04. The crest features a cannon, symbolising its historical link to armaments. The club is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and maintains a strong youth academy and global fanbase. Notable players include Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira.

Arsenal also refers to the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, a major British munitions factory and storage complex established in the 17th century. It played a central role in British military production and remains a landmark, later redeveloped for residential and commercial use.