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An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the parties agree to stop fighting. The word comes from the Latin arma, meaning weapons and statium, meaning a stopping.

A truce or ceasefire usually refers to a temporary stop of hostilities for an agreed limited time or within a limited area. A truce may be needed in order to negotiate an armistice. An armistice is not the same as a peace treaty, which may take months or even years to agree on. The 1953 Korean War armistice is a major example of an armistice which has not yet been followed by a peace treaty.