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archer

[ahr-cher]
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noun
  1. a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.
  2. (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Sagittarius.
  3. an archerfish.
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Origin of archer

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French archier < Late Latin arcuārius, equivalent to arcu-, stem of arcus bow (see arc) + -ārius -ary

Archer

[ahr-cher]
noun
  1. William,1856–1924, Scottish playwright, drama critic, and translator.
  2. a male given name.
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arch2

[ahrch]
adjective
  1. playfully roguish or mischievous: an arch smile.
  2. cunning; crafty; sly.
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noun
  1. Obsolete. a person who is preeminent; a chief.
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Origin of arch2

independent use of arch-1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

slyheadchampionexpertleadingtoppremierfinishedprimaryaccomplishedchiefmasterconsummatemajormainfirstforemosthighestpreeminentgreatest

Examples from the Web for archer

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Meaning that I lie," said the archer, laying down his knife.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • "I doubt it not, mon ami," quoth the archer, going back to his tankard.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • "For axemen and for spearmen I have not seen their match," the archer answered.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • "Yet it may be as well that you should know whither we go," said the archer.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • "Aye, it is the steel head-piece of the watchman," remarked the archer.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for archer

archer

noun
  1. a person skilled in the use of a bow and arrow
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Word Origin

C13: from Old French archier, from Late Latin arcārius, from Latin arcus bow

Archer1

noun
  1. the Archer the constellation Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac
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Archer2

noun
  1. Frederick Scott. 1813–57, British inventor and sculptor. He developed (1851) the wet collodion photographic process, enabling multiple copies of pictures to be made
  2. Jeffrey (Howard), Baron Archer of Weston-Super-Mare. born 1940, British novelist and Conservative politician. He was an MP from 1969 until 1974. His novels include Kane and Abel (1979), Honour Among Thieves (1993), and The Fourth Estate (1996): from 2001 to 2003 he was imprisoned for perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice
  3. William. 1856–1924, Scottish critic and dramatist: made the first English translations of Ibsen
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arch1

noun
  1. a curved structure, normally in the vertical plane, that spans an opening
  2. Also called: archway a structure in the form of an arch that serves as a gateway
  3. something curved like an arch
    1. any of various parts or structures of the body having a curved or archlike outline, such as the transverse portion of the aorta (arch of the aorta) or the raised bony vault formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones (arch of the foot)
    2. one of the basic patterns of the human fingerprint, formed by several curved ridges one above the otherCompare loop 1 (def. 10a), whorl (def. 3)
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verb
  1. (tr) to span (an opening) with an arch
  2. to form or cause to form an arch or a curve resembling that of an archthe cat arched its back
  3. (tr) to span or extend overthe bridge arched the flooded stream
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Word Origin

C14: from Old French arche, from Vulgar Latin arca (unattested), from Latin arcus bow, arc

arch2

adjective
  1. (prenominal) chief; principal; leadinghis arch rival
  2. (prenominal) very experienced; expertan arch criminal
  3. knowing or superior
  4. playfully or affectedly roguish or mischievous
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Derived Formsarchly, adverbarchness, noun

Word Origin

C16: independent use of arch-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for archer

n.

late 13c., from Anglo-French archer, Old French archier "archer, bowmaker," from Latin arcarius, from arcus "bow" (see arc). Also a 17c. name for the bishop in chess.

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arch

n.

c.1300, from Old French arche "arch of a bridge" (12c.), from Latin arcus "a bow" (see arc). Replaced native bow (n.1). Originally architectural in English; transferred by early 15c. to anything having this form (eyebrows, etc.).

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arch

adj.

1540s, "chief, principal," from prefix arch-; used in 12c. archangel, etc., but extended to so many derogatory uses (arch-rogue, arch-knave, etc.) that by mid-17c. it acquired a meaning of "roguish, mischievous," since softened to "saucy." Also found in archwife (late 14c.), variously defined as "a wife of a superior order" or "a dominating woman, virago."

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arch

v.

early 14c., "to form an arch" (implied in arched); c.1400, "to furnish with an arch," from arch (n.). Related: Arching.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
archer in Medicine

arch

(ärch)
n.
  1. An organ or structure having a curved or bowlike appearance, especially either of two arched sections of the bony structure of the foot.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
archer in Culture

arch

In architecture, a curved or pointed opening that spans a doorway, window, or other space.

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Note

The form of arch used in building often serves to distinguish styles of architecture from one another. For example, Romanesque architecture usually employs a round arch, and Gothic architecture, a pointed arch.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.