Word of the Day

: November 11, 2010

armistice

noun AHR-muh-stus

What It Means

: temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement between the opponents : truce

armistice in Context

The Korean War ended with an armistice signed in July of 1953, though a permanent peace accord was never reached.

"Most of us learned in school that WWI ended either with the 1918 armistice agreement or the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. But the Telegraph points out that, technically, the war will not come to a formal conclusion until this Sunday, when Germany makes its final reparation payment." -- From an article by Max Fisher on The Atlantic Wire, September 29, 2010

Did You Know?

"Armistice" descends from Latin "sistere," meaning "to come to a stand" or "to cause to stand or stop," combined with "arma," meaning "weapons." An armistice, therefore, is literally a cessation of arms. Armistice Day is the name that was given to the holiday celebrated in the United States on November 11 before it was renamed Veterans Day by Congress in 1954. The original name refers to the agreement between the Allied Powers and Germany to end hostilities that constituted the first World War, designated to take effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Other armistices, involving Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary, were effected on other dates before and after November 11.