broad arrow

noun

a mark in the shape of a broad arrowhead, placed upon British government property.

Archery. an arrow having an expanded head.

Heraldry. pheon.

Nearby words

bro talk, bro., broach, broaching, broad, broad arrow, broad bean, broad church, broad construction, broad daylight, broad fascia

Origin of broad arrow

1350–1400; Middle English brod arwe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for broad arrow

You wouldn't look well at all in a striped suit—or I believe it's the broad-arrow pattern they supply in the prisons here.
The White Blackbird|Hudson Douglas
A line of men in broad-arrow stamped suits, all natives, guarded by two armed constables, was filing in from the veldt.
A Veldt Official|Bertram Mitford
Firstly, there is the stigma that attaches to every man who has worn the broad-arrow.
A Plea for the Criminal|James Leslie Allan Kayll
The mark of the “broad-arrow” is generally incised with the bench-mark so that the horizontal bar passes through its apex.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5|Various

In prison she had to wear the ugly convict-dress with the broad-arrow stamped on all her clothes.
The Rebel of the School|Mrs. L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for broad arrow

broad arrow

noun

a mark shaped like a broad arrowhead designating British government property and formerly used on prison clothing

an arrow with a broad head

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

broad arrow

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of broad arrow

Examples from the Web for broad arrow

British Dictionary definitions for broad arrow

broad arrow

noun