archer

¹ American  

[ahr-cher] / ˈɑr tʃər /

noun

1. a person who shoots with a bow and arrow; bowman.

2. Astronomy, Astrology. Archer, the constellation or sign of Sagittarius.

3. an archerfish.

---

Archer ² American  

[ahr-cher] / ˈɑr tʃər /

noun

1. William, 1856–1924, Scottish playwright, drama critic, and translator.

2. a first name.

---

Archer ¹ British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

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

---

Archer ² British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

noun

1. the constellation Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac

---

archer ³ British  

/ ˈɑːtʃə /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of archer

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

Explanation

If you enjoy shooting arrows at a target with a bow, you can call yourself an archer. Some archers compete in the Olympics. In ancient times, archers primarily used their bows and arrows to hunt for food or battle against enemies. There were also famous archers in mythology, including Artemis and Apollo in ancient Greece and Diana and Cupid in ancient Rome. Archer was an Anglo-French word first, from the Old French archier, "archer" or "bowmaker," from the Latin arcus, or "bow."

Example Sentences

In 2012 he became the first armless archer to qualify for the Paralympics and burst onto the international scene with a silver medal.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2024

Chinese archer Ai Xinliang describes him as “sunshine, giving light to all disabled persons.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2024

The 17-year-old from Jammu district was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder, making her the world’s first - and only active - female archer to compete without arms.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

In her low moments, Devi would take inspiration from American archer Matt Stutzman, who famously shoots with his feet using a customised device.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

An archer so armed can outrange any wooden bow.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• administrator
• cleric
• director
• patriarch
• pontiff
• pope
• prelate
• priest