javelin

American  

[jav-lin, jav-uh-] / ˈdʒæv lɪn, ˈdʒæv ə- /

noun

1. a light spear, usually thrown by hand.

2. Track.

   1. a spearlike shaft about 8½ feet (2.7 meters) long and usually made of wood, used in throwing for distance.

   2. Also called javelin throw.  a competitive field event in which the javelin is thrown for distance.

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verb (used with object)

1. to strike or pierce with or as if with a javelin.

javelin British  

/ ˈdʒævlɪn /

noun

1. a long pointed spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events

2. the event or sport of throwing the javelin

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Usage

What does javelin mean? A javelin is the pointed, spearlike pole used in the track-and-field event known as javelin or the javelin throw—in which athletes compete to throw it as far as they can. The javelin event is one of the “field” events in track and field, which also include other events in which objects are thrown as far as possible, namely discus and shot put. All three are events in the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) and are also events in the modern decathlon. The word javelin also refers to the ancient throwing spear on which the javelin used in the athletic event is based. Its original military use is referenced in the name of an U. S. military missile system known as Javelin. Example: I’m training for the javelin and shot put with my track-and-field team.

Etymology

Origin of javelin

1505–15; < Middle French javeline, by suffix alteration from javelot, Anglo-French gavelot, gaveloc, probably < Old English gafeluc, *gafeloc ≪ British Celtic *gablākos presumably, a spear with a forklike head; compare MIr gablach forked branch, javelin, MWelsh gaflach (apparently < OIr), derivative of Old Irish gabul fork, forked branch, cognate with Old Breton gabl, Welsh gafl

Explanation

A javelin is a sharp-tipped, lightweigh throwing spear that's used in sporting events. The javelin throw is an event in the Olympics. Historically, the javelin was used as a weapon. African and Zulu tribes have used javelins, as well as Welsh fighters and ancient Roman Empire and Anglo-Saxon soldiers. More recently, javelins are simply thrown for sport. The Middle French javeline is a diminutive form of the Old French javelot, or "spear." The ultimate root is probably the Proto-Indo-European word ghabholo, "a fork or branch of a tree."

Example Sentences

The Venezuelans practically turned the art of the bat flip into a javelin toss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

It’s like golf, except a player can’t javelin his clubs into a water hazard or pitch a 15-pound orb across six alleys, even if he could.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Brits was a world champion javelin thrower in her youth before a road accident curtailed that career.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025

Tessa Sanderson, who won women's javelin gold for Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics and is a Women in Sport ambassador, says the research is "truly heartbreaking".

From BBC • May 21, 2025

He was galloping around his enemy, using sword and shield, while the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole and the crowd cheered.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan