What does armature mean?
Armature is a noun with two principal meanings. In engineering, it denotes the rotating part of an electric motor or generator — the coil-carrying core whose interaction with a magnetic field converts electrical energy into motion, or motion into electricity. In art, it refers to the rigid internal frame, typically made of wire or steel, on which a sculptor builds a figure before applying clay, wax, or plaster; without this hidden skeleton, large works could not support their own weight. The word also carries an older, more general sense of armor or protective covering, reflecting its origin in the Latin armatura, meaning equipment or arms, from arma (weapons). Today it appears chiefly in technical and artistic registers: engineers speak of armature windings and rotor cores, while artists speak of wire armatures. Its dual life makes it a useful word precisely because it bridges the mechanical and the creative.
The rotating current-carrying component of an electric motor or generator, consisting of a coil wound around a core.
"A damaged armature can cause the motor to stall under load."
A rigid framework, typically of wire or steel, that supports a sculpture during construction.
"She built a wire armature before applying the first layer of clay."
Regular plural formation; used when referring to multiple components or frameworks.
"The factory produced thousands of armatures each month."
The same word names both the humming heart of an electric motor and the hidden wire skeleton inside every bronze sculpture — two jobs, one Latin root meaning 'to arm.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of armature
Armature derives from the Latin armatura, meaning equipment, armor, or fitting, formed from arma (arms, weapons) plus the suffix -ura. The word entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, originally carrying the sense of defensive armor. By the seventeenth century it had broadened to mean any protective or supporting structure, which paved the way for its modern technical senses. When electromagnetic machines emerged in the nineteenth century, engineers adopted the term for the moving, 'armed' part of the apparatus, while sculptors borrowed it for the internal framework that supports a work in progress. It shares its root with words like arm, armor, and armament.
How armature is actually used
Most common today in electrical engineering contexts; the sculptural sense is well established among artists. Somewhat technical register in everyday speech.
Easily confused with armature
Armor is protective body covering in general, while armature specifically refers either to the rotating coil in electrical machines or to a structural/protective frame.