arrow

[ar-oh] /ˈær oʊ/
noun
1.
a slender, straight, generally pointed missile or weapon made to be shot from a bow and equipped with feathers at the end of the shaft near the nock, for controlling flight.
2.
anything resembling an arrow in form, function, or character.
3.
a linear figure having a wedge-shaped end, as one used on a map or architectural drawing, to indicate direction or placement.
4.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Sagitta.
5.
broad arrow.
verb (used with object)
6.
to indicate the proper position of (an insertion) by means of an arrow (often followed by in):
to arrow in a comment between the paragraphs.
Origin
before 900; Middle English arewe, arwe, Old English earh; cognate with Old Norse ǫr (plural ǫrvar), Gothic arhwazna; Germanic *arhwō (feminine), akin to Latin arcus (genitive arcūs) bow, arc; thus Latin *arku- bow, pre-Germanic *arku-ā belonging to the bow
Related forms
arrowless, adjective
arrowlike, adjective

Arrow

[ar-oh] /ˈær oʊ/
noun
1.
Kenneth Joseph, born 1921, U.S. economist: Nobel Prize 1972.
Examples from the web for arrow
  • If the graph is directed, the direction is indicated by drawing an arrow.
  • They also have skills that amplify their bow mastery, as well as piercing arrow skills.
  • The straight flight of an arrow is dependent on its fletching.
  • The archer begins at the first station of the target and shoots his first arrow.
  • In a name context, it means soft like a bog or bow as in bow and arrow.
British Dictionary definitions for arrow

arrow

/ˈærəʊ/
noun
1.
a long slender pointed weapon, usually having feathers fastened at the end as a balance, that is shot from a bow related adjective sagittal
2.
any of various things that resemble an arrow in shape, function, or speed, such as a sign indicating direction or position
See also arrows
Word Origin
Old English arwe; related to Old Norse ör, Gothic arhvazna, Latin arcus bow, arch1
Word Origin and History for arrow
n.

early 14c., from Old English arwan, earlier earh "arrow," possibly borrowed from Old Norse ör (genitive örvar), from Proto-Germanic *arkhwo (cf. Gothic arhwanza), from PIE root *arku- "bow and/or arrow," source of Latin arcus (see arc (n.)). The ground sense would be "the thing belonging to the bow," perhaps a superstitious avoidance of the actual name.

A rare word in Old English, where more common words for "arrow" were stræl (cognate with the word still common in Slavic, once prevalent in Germanic, too; meaning related to "flash, streak") and fla, flan, a North Germanic word, perhaps originally with the sense of "splinter." Stræl disappeared by 1200; fla lingered in Scottish until after 1500. Meaning "a mark like an arrow in cartography, etc." is from 1834.

Slang definitions & phrases for arrow

arrow

Related Terms

straight arrow