Weaponry refers to weapons considered as a group or collection. When historians study medieval weaponry, they're examining all the different weapons knights and soldiers used: swords, spears, crossbows, and battle axes. When a military analyst discusses modern weaponry, she might be talking about tanks, missiles, fighter jets, and other tools of warfare.

The word helps us talk about weapons as a whole category rather than naming each one individually. A museum might display ancient Roman weaponry in one gallery and samurai weaponry in another. A fantasy novelist describing a castle's armory might write about the gleaming weaponry hanging on the walls.

Weaponry can range from simple tools like clubs and arrows to complex modern systems. The development of weaponry throughout history shows how human technology has advanced, for better and worse. Bronze Age weaponry included spears and daggers made from metal instead of stone. Revolutionary War weaponry featured muskets and cannons. Today's weaponry includes sophisticated systems that would seem like magic to people from earlier eras.

The word emphasizes the collection or type of weapons rather than focusing on individual items. You might say a video game character has impressive weaponry, meaning their whole arsenal of swords, shields, and magical staffs.