arrowhead

American  

[ar-oh-hed] / ˈær oʊˌhɛd /

noun

1. the head or tip of an arrow, usually separable from the shaft and conventionally wedge-shaped.

2. anything resembling or having the conventional shape of an arrowhead.

3. Also called swamp potato.  any aquatic or bog plant of the genus Sagittaria, having usually arrowhead-shaped leaves and clusters of white flowers.

4. any of several other plants having arrowhead-shaped leaves.

5. the dartlike form in an egg-and-dart ornament.

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arrowhead British  

/ ˈærəʊˌhɛd /

noun

1. the pointed tip of an arrow, often removable from the shaft

2. something that resembles the head of an arrow in shape, such as a triangular decoration on garments used to reinforce joins

3. any aquatic herbaceous plant of the genus Sagittaria, esp S. sagittifolia, having arrow-shaped aerial leaves and linear submerged leaves: family Alismataceae

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Etymology

Origin of arrowhead

1350–1400; Middle English arwe he ( ve ) d; see arrow, head

Explanation

The sharp tip of an arrow is called an arrowhead. Ancient arrowheads were made from carved, sharpened stone and pieces of bone. If you're an archaeologist, you probably think of an arrowhead as an artifact that you might find, evidence of some ancient society. As long ago as the Stone Age, hunters attached arrowheads to their weapons, and more modern warriors and hunters used arrowheads made of metal. The word comes from arrow, with its Old English root of arwan, and head, from the Old English heafod, "top of the body," but also "top."

Example Sentences

Ironically, the National Park Service logo is an arrowhead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Think of it like an arrow, where the arrowhead holds a portion of the information and the arrow tail holds the rest, Lee said.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2025

Gone was the passivity and in its place an arrowhead of energy and intent straight to the heart of City's defence.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2023

Holding an ancient artifact in your hands, a natural artifact like a meteorite or man-made artifact like an arrowhead, invokes a sense of awe: What stories can this object tell?

From Slate • Sep. 27, 2023

The rainbow reappeared in the sky and then fell down to where Jet Stone Boy was holding the tip of the arrowhead.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young