Arrow
/ˈæroʊ/noun
A slender, pointed projectile shot from a bow.
Did you know?English arrow comes from a Germanic word family also seen in Old Norse and Old High German, and the same ancient root helped shape words for things that move fast or are thrown.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂er-
“To fit together, join, or set in motion; a distant ancestral root behind several words for movement and ordering”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*arwazō / *arwō
“A dart or arrow”
Old English
OE
earh
“An arrow, dart, or missile”
Middle English
English
arwe / arwe
“A projectile shot from a bow”
Modern English
English
arrow
“A slender, pointed projectile shot from a bow”