Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /ə'lɑːrm/

ALARM

What does "ALARM" mean?

A warning of danger, or the fear it causes.

Meanings

  1. A sudden feeling of fear or anxiety caused by awareness of danger. He read the email with growing alarm.
  2. A device that signals danger or rouses someone, often with a sound. The smoke alarm went off while she burned the toast.
  3. To frighten or fill someone with anxiety. I don't mean to alarm you, but the door was open.

Did you know?

  • Your morning alarm is a fossilized war cry: it comes from the Italian 'all'arme!', meaning 'to arms!', once shouted to send soldiers running for their weapons.

Word origin

From Italian 'all'arme!' (to arms!), a call summoning soldiers to weapons; it entered English through Old French as a single word 'alarme'.

Remember it

ALARM: 'A Loud And Rude Morning' - and it literally hides 'arm', the weapons you were once called to grab.

A little poem

Small box on the shelf-
an old war cry, tamed to wake
you for the commute.

haiku

Wordplay

  • My alarm and I have an arms race every morning: it goes off, I hit snooze, and neither of us ever truly surrenders.

What it teaches

Alarm is borrowed energy: it can arm you for the danger or paralyze you before it - the bell only decides which if you let it.

Quick facts

What does ALARM mean?

A warning of danger, or the fear it causes.

Is ALARM a valid word?

Yes — ALARM is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is ALARM?

ALARM has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does ALARM come from?

From Italian 'all'arme!' (to arms!), a call summoning soldiers to weapons; it entered English through Old French as a single word 'alarme'.

What can ALARM teach us?

Alarm is borrowed energy: it can arm you for the danger or paralyze you before it - the bell only decides which if you let it.

How players do

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