spear-thrower

[ speer-throh-er ]
/ ˈspɪərˌθroʊ ər /

noun Anthropology.

a flexible device for launching a spear, usually a short cord wound around the spear so that when thrown the weapon will rotate in the air.
Also called atlatl. a rigid device for increasing the speed and distance of a spear when thrown, usually a flat wooden stick with a handhold and a peg or socket to accommodate the butt end of the spear.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of spear-thrower

First recorded in 1870–75

Words nearby spear-thrower

spear gun, spear phish, spear side, spear-head spoon, spear-phishing, spear-thrower, spearfish, spearfisherman, spearhead, spearing, spearman
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for spear-thrower

  • Are the spear-thrower and the bull-roarer inevitably thought of as alive?

    Anthropology|Robert Marett

  • Spears and wooden clubs are universal, and the use of the spear-thrower is generally distributed.

    Man, Past and Present|Agustus Henry Keane

  • But it is quite otherwise with his spear-thrower or his bull-roarer.

    Anthropology|Robert Marett