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definitions

arrow

[ar-oh]
|

noun

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.
anything resembling an arrow in form, function, or character.
a linear figure having a wedge-shaped end, as one used on a map or architectural drawing, to indicate direction or placement.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Sagitta.
broad arrow.

verb (used with object)

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.

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RELATED WORDS

missile, projectile, dart, cursor, shaft, indicator, pointer, bolt

Nearby words

  1. arrogance of power,
  2. arrogant,
  3. arrogate,
  4. arrogation,
  5. arrondissement,
  6. arrow arum,
  7. arrow, kenneth joseph,
  8. arrowgrass,
  9. arrowhead,
  10. arrowroot

Origin of arrow

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 formsar·row·less, adjectivear·row·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arrows

British Dictionary definitions for arrows

arrows

noun

(functioning as singular) British an informal name for darts

arrow

noun

a long slender pointed weapon, usually having feathers fastened at the end as a balance, that is shot from a bowRelated adjective: sagittal
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 for arrow

Old English arwe; related to Old Norse ör, Gothic arhvazna, Latin arcus bow, arch 1
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 arrows

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper