An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is derived from the Latin arma , meaning weapons and stitium, meaning a stopping.
A truce or "cease fire" usually refers to a temporary ceasation 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 and is not the same as a peace treaty, which may take months or even years to agree on. The armistice of 1953 in the Korean War, for famous instance, has not yet been followed by a peace treaty.
Notable Armistices in history
The most famous armistice, which is the one still meant when people say simply "The Armistice", is the one at the end of World War I, on November 11, 1918 at the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month." . Armistice Day is still celebrated in some places on the anniversary of that armistice; alternatively November 11, or a Sunday near to it, may still be observed as Remembrance Day.