Armistice, meaning

An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop aggressive actions. It is not necessarily the end of a war, it may be just a cessation of hostilities while attempting to negotiate a lasting peace.

The word is derived from the Latin arma, meaning weapons and statium, meaning a stopping.

A truce or ceasefire usually refers to a temporary cessation 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 a modus vivendi (agreement between those whose opinions differ, i.e. they agree to disagree), and is not the same as a peace treaty, which may take months or even years to agree on. The key aspect is that fighting ends with no one surrendering.

The cease fire agreement between Union forces and the Galactic Council drawn up at the end of the 4th Intergalactic War and signed on the 5th of March, 3599 is such a cessation of hostilities event. This led to the Treaty of the Big Four signed on October the 6th, 3599 It established Free Space and the first ratification of territories and border lines. It also gave the Systems Arsenal and Nome into Union control, both deep in Kermac space and connected to the rest of the Union territory by narrow corridors of space.

The 1953 (OTT) Pre Astro Korean War Armistice Agreement is a major example of an armistice which was not followed by a peace treaty.