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arrowhead

American  
[ar-oh-hed] / ˈær oʊˌhɛd /

noun

arrowheads plural
  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.


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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing arrowhead

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

The Interior Department opposes the use of the arrowhead logo.

From Seattle Times Apr. 23, 2024

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

She was riding on the sharp point of the arrowhead itself; she was flying through the predawn stillness.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

In the process, they uncovered hoe-spades, spears, knives, arrowheads, chisels, axes and swords made of iron.

From BBC Feb. 26, 2025

The team used it to successfully haft two flint arrowheads to wooden handles.

From Science Magazine Nov. 22, 2024

All that was discovered were two quartz flakes that had probably been chipped from arrowheads.

From Slate Nov. 11, 2023

The large ditched settlements had all the tools necessary to carry out the routine work of a community, without specific accumulations of certain materials, such as cereals or arrowheads.

From Science Daily Oct. 16, 2023

He gave Sam a spearhead and a dozen arrowheads as well, and passed the rest out among his other friends for luck.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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