Etymology

Variants of the common ME n. continuing OE wǣpen 'weapon' in ā or ō from N texts are explained by most authorities as a reflex of the ON cognate (so e.g. OED, MED, Jordan-Crook §49.2), cp. OIcel vápn 'weapon' (< PGmc *wēpnan, cp. further OFris wēpin, wēpen, OS wāpan, OHG wāfan).

PGmc Ancestor

*wēpnan

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

vápn 'weapon'
(ONP vápn (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far vápn, Icel vopn, Norw våpen, Dan våben, Sw vapen

OE Cognate

wǣpen 'weapon'

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /ɑ:/ &lt; PGmc */e:/ (1)

Summary category

A1*c

Attestation

Orthographic variants indicating ā or ō occur in N texts from early ME (see MED).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 65, 958, 1400 etc.

Bibliography

MED wē̆pen (n.) , OED weapon (n.) , HTOED , Bj. 84, de Vries vápn, Mag. vopn, Orel *wēpnan, Kroonen *wēbna- ~ *wēpna-, AEW wǣpen