arrowheadn.adj.
/ˈarə(ʊ)hɛd/, U.S. /ˈɛroʊˌhɛd/ A. n.
1.
a. The head or pointed end of an arrow, typically made separately and fitted to the shaft.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow
headOE
arrowhead1384
bolt-head1483
arrow point1655
1384–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 594 In 40 Shafe de Arowheuedes, 14s.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 145 (MED) Manye men han born an arowe-heed in þe parties of her face bi longe tyme.
1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 13 Arowhede, barbellum, catella.
1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 19 Two maner of arrowe heades..was vsed in olde tyme.
1588 W. Clowes Prooued Pract. Young Chirurgians 92 A Darthead, Arrowhead, or bullet.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole iii. xx. 590 White Ellebor..which the Hunters vse as a poyson to dippe their arrow heads in.
1699 L. Wafer New Voy. & Descr. Isthmus Amer. 86 The Men make Arrow-heads of this Wood.
1731 C. Gamberini Descr. Earl of Pembroke's Pictures 17 Cupid..is earnestly observing his Arrow Heads in a Fire, to sharpen them.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Odyssey in Iliad & Odyssey II. xxi. 502 He..drew home Nerve and notch'd arrow-head.
1827 Brit. Critic Apr. 473 The old British long-bow..requiring a nervous arm to draw it to the arrow head with effect.
1892 W. M. Beauchamp Iroquois Trail 117 Copper and iron arrow-heads took the place of flint.
1920 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 349 The mesh-bag in which the Mexican hunters carried their arrow heads.
1984 S. King Thinner (1985) xx. 210 The Jivaro Indians soaked their wooden arrowheads in curare.
2005 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 15 Oct. 14 Nauer pulled the arrowhead out of his abdomen and ran off.
b. spec. The head of an arrow which is a prehistoric artefact, made of flint or another non-metallic material. Cf. elf-arrow n. at elf n.1 Compounds 3, elf-shot n. 2, fairy arrow n. (a) at fairy n. and adj. Compounds 3a.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow > prehistoric arrow-head
elf-arrow1590
arrowhead?1661
fairy dart1782
fairy stone1791
flint-head1796
projectile point1847
leaf arrowhead1878
fairy arrow1903
?1661 R. Gordon in J. H. Burton Hist. Scotl. to 1688 (1867) I. iii. 137 (note) Hos vulgus patrio sermone elf arrow-heads vocant.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Elf Arrows Very small arrow-heads made out of a talky fissile stone are found in Virginia and Barbadoes.
1771 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1769 94 Elf-shots, i. e. the stone arrow heads of the old inhabitants of this island, are supposed to be weapons shot by Fairies at cattle.
1851 D. Wilson Archæol. & Prehistoric Ann. Scotl. i. ii. 34 Several well-formed arrow-heads of flint.
1855 H. W. Longfellow Hiawatha iv. 62 Made his arrow-heads of sandstone, Arrow-heads of chalcedony.
1907 Antiquary 43 89/2 The accompanying illustrations of some Suffolk types of Neolithic arrow-heads afford an idea of the beauty of these lasting records of prehistoric civilization.
1956 R. Carrington Guide Earth Hist. (1958) xxv. 243 (caption) Implements used by Upper Palaeolithic man, including flint arrow heads.
2013 Augusta (Georgia) Chron. (Nexis) 4 Aug. b8 You find an arrowhead, you wonder how it was made.
2. † a. A mark resembling an arrowhead, placed on items requisitioned for the use of the English royal household. Cf. broad arrowhead n. 2, broad arrow n. 2a. Obsolete.
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society > communication > indication > marking > marking to identify > mark of identification > [noun] > mark of ownership > specific
arrowhead1386
broad arrowhead1475
broad arrow1554
rogue's yarn1769
1386 in H. T. Riley Memorials London (1868) 489 [Several barrels full of ale with a mark, called] arewehede [saying that those barrels were for the household of our Lord the King].
b. Something resembling an arrowhead in shape or appearance. Also: a representation or image of an arrowhead.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation > others
quathriganc1175
starc1384
yoke1415
sheafc1420
arrow1548
thunder-dart1569
memento mori1598
quadriga1600
Triton1601
anchor1621
chimera1634
forest-work1647
Bacchanaliaa1680
Bacchanal1753
subject1781
harp1785
mask1790
arrowhead1808
gorgoneion1842
Amazonomachia1845
Amazonomachy1893
mythograph1893
physicomorph1895
horns of consecration1901
double image1939
motion study1977
1808 A. Wilson Amer. Ornithol. I. 148 Sides under the wings more dusky yellow, marked with long arrow-heads of black.
1877 U.S. Patent 196,539 1/1 The coupling-link, composed of a metal bar having an arrow-head..at each end.
1908 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Scouting for Boys i. 20 The badge..of the first class scout consists of a brass arrow head with the motto on it ‘be prepared’.
1964 A. S. Byatt Shadow of Sun iv. 102 An arrowhead of tiny black birds came, direct, whirring beneath him and the sun.
2013 R. Harrington Understanding Adobe Photoshop 49 The cursor will change to a white arrowhead with a small double arrow.
c. A mark or symbol shaped like an arrowhead, used on a map or diagram to represent a course, movement, or flow (as of a river, current, travelling group of people, etc.). Cf. arrow n. 3c.
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society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > arrow on plan or diagram
shaft1730
dart1784
arrowhead1832
society > communication > representation > physical representation of abstraction > symbolizing > [noun] > a symbol > specific symbols > others
Samian letter1616
A1651
Tetragrammaton1656
arrow1744
arrowhead1832
wind1847
scarlet letter1850
sun wheel1865
sacred axe1866
rising sun1868
crow's foot1871
Easter rabbit1881
hexagram1882
sun sign1882
Easter bunny1900
Staffordshire knot1908
sinsigna1914
tectiform1921
padma1954
smiley face1957
happy face1971
lexigram1973
emoticon1988
smiley1989
1832 P. M. Roget Treat. Electr., Galvanism, Magnetism, & Electro-magnetism iv. ix. 50/1 The arrow-heads at the end of the lines shew the direction of the current in the wire.
1870 I. Todhunter Mech. for Beginners 3 Sometimes an arrow head is used in a figure to indicate [the direction in] which the force tends.
1918 V. S. Bryant & T. H. Hughes Map Work vi. 100 The edge on which the arrow-head is marked will then represent the magnetic North and South line.
1947 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 29 Jan. 1/8 White arrowheads show main Russian thrusts south of Leningrad.
2009 B. N. Kumar Basic Physics for All i. 1 The direction shown by the arrowhead shows the direction of the force.
3. An aquatic or marsh plant of the genus Sagittaria, having white flowers, arrowhead-shaped leaves, and edible tubers. Frequently with distinguishing word. S. latifolia is also called duck potato, wapato.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > aquatic, marsh, and sea-shore plants > [noun] > other aquatic plants
sea-purslane1548
frog-bit1578
heartwort1578
milkwort1578
water dragon1578
water-liverwort1578
water milfoil1578
water milfoil1578
water radish1578
arrowhead1597
saltwort1597
water archer1597
calla1601
water-rocket1605
sea rocket1611
water archer1617
water chickweed1633
water purslane1633
arsesmart1640
water hyssop1653
water thyme1655
water serpent1659
Myriophyllum1754
least water plantain1756
mud-weed1756
Thalia1756
water-leaf1756
marsh liverwort1760
bastard plantain1762
wool-weed1765
Ruppia1770
goat's foot1773
pipewort1776
blinking chickweed1777
mudwort1789
arrowleaf1805
water-target1814
water willow1814
felwort1816
water shield1817
mermaid weed1822
mud plantain1822
hydrilla1824
blinks1835
crystalwort1846
naiad1846
waterwort1846
arrow weed1848
willow-thorn1857
lattice leaf1866
marsh flower1866
bonnet1869
lattice plant1877
sea-ash1884
alligator weed1887
water parsley1891
water hyacinth1897
lirio1926
neverwet1927
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 337 Sagittaria may be called in English the water Archer, or Arrow heade.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Sagette,..the Ditch-weed called Arrow-head.
1671 J. Blagrave Astrol. Pract. Physick 98 Consumptions to cure: balsame,..aniseed, arrow-head, borrage.
1754 Mag. of Mag. Sept. 197/2 Plants with broad leaves spread on the surface of the stream, water plantane, arrowhead, water-tulips..and the like.
1793 J. E. Smith Eng. Bot. II. 84 Sagittaria sagittifolia. Common Arrow-head.
1815 De W. Clinton Introd. Disc. Lit. & Philos. Soc. N.Y. 127 The bulb of arrowhead,..boiled, or roasted in hot ashes, was eat by our indians.
1883 Harper's Mag. Dec. 70/2 The cat-tails and arrow-heads in the ‘ma'sh’ at Ponkwasset.
1933 ‘E. Cambridge’ Hostages to Fortune iv. 55 She learnt to love the quiet beauty of the still, olive water banded with silver..and the yellow Cherwell buttercups floating amongst the tangles of arrowhead.
1993 Harrowsmith May–June 60/1 Shorter, flowering plants with lush foliage, such as arrowhead (Sagittaria spp) and irises, are also good choices for the margin.
2011 B. A. Sorrie Field Guide Wildflowers Sandhills Region 276/2 Broadleaf Arrowhead (S. latifolia) has much broader leaves.
B. adj.
1. = cuneiform adj. 2a. Cf. arrow-headed adj. 2.
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society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > formation of letters > [adjective] > other forms
arrow-headed1799
nail-headed1801
arrowhead1805
blind1820
crossed1834
ligulate1863
ligulated1864
ligated1866
pot-hooked1898
calculiform1900
1805 Ann. Rev. & Hist. Lit. 1804 3 69/1 A specimen of basalt inscribed with arrow-head characters.
1877 J. W. Dawson Origin of World i. 24 The arrow-head writing, afterwards used by the Assyrians.
1904 H. S. Williams Historians' Hist. World I. iii. v. 439 The reading of inscriptions in the arrow-head script is an extremely difficult task.
1999 S. Rédey & M. Webb tr. E. Bojtár Foreword to Past ii. ii. 80 Hittite arrowhead writing.
2. gen. Shaped like an arrowhead; arrow-headed.
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the world > space > shape > other specific shapes > [adjective] > others
lachrymal1607
tauriform1721
diminished1726
tailed1767
acinose1796
aciniform1798
acinous1809
slab-sided1817
lip-like1836
mound-like1843
high-centred1847
square-toed1851
brush-shaped1880
mushroom1884
bolster-shaped1900
arrowhead1934
narrow-gutted1952
panhandled1960
1934 M. Thomas Dict. Embroidery Stitches 3 Arrowhead Stitch may be used as a filling or as a line stitch,..where the stitches are grouped in twos.
1962 Aeroplane & Commerc. Aviation News 29 Mar. 6/3 The idea was to have a sharply swept ‘arrow-head’ wing planform for supersonic speeds.
1991 N. de Lange tr. A. Oz To know Woman (1992) xix. 89 He is watching flocks of birds migrating southwards in arrowhead formation.
Compounds
C1. Objective.
arrowhead maker n.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > armourer > [noun] > one who makes bows or arrows > specific parts
arrowsmith1278
arrow-header?1518
bowstring-maker1530
arrowhead maker1545
plumier1887
1545 in J. W. Clay North Country Wills (1908) I. 290 John Watson,..arowehedmaker.
1562–3 Act 5 Elizabeth I c. 4 §2 in Statutes of Realm (1963) IV. i. 415 Arrowheadmakers Butchers Cookes or Myllers.
1647 L. Haward Charges Crown Revenue 26 Arrow-head-maker: Fee, 6.1.8.
1720 J. Strype Stow's Surv. of London (rev. ed.) II. v. xiii. 217/2 Besides these two Trades belonging to Archers, there were also two more; namely Stringers and Arrow-Headmakers.
1894 Viscount Dillon in C. J. Longman et al. Archery (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) viii. 130 In 1528 John Laake was arrow-head-maker to the king.
1991 Jrnl. Policy Anal. & Managem. 10 318 It was felt gambling decreased military preparedness... Interestingly, support for this position came from bowyers and arrowhead makers.
arrowhead making n.
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1859 Kansas Herald of Freedom (Lawrence) 25 June (heading) Arrow-head making.
1919 W. H. Holmes Handbk. Aboriginal Amer. Antiq. (U.S. Bureau of Amer. Ethnol. Bull. No. 60) i. 295 The fragments or flakes employed in arrowhead making.
2013 Treasure Hunting Apr. 64/1 Arrowhead making reached a pinnacle of expertise in the Neolithic.
C2.
arrowhead-shaped adj. having the shape of an arrowhead; cf. sagittate adj.
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1807 T. Martyn Miller's Gardener's & Botanist's Dict. (rev. ed.) I. ii. at Inula Leaves..embracing the stem with their arrowhead-shaped base.
1906 Harper's Monthly Mag. Jan. 204/1 Thirteen copper pendants, arrow-head shaped, and each bearing a repoussé eye.
1960 Times 25 Nov. 20/6 (advt.) A supersonic, arrowhead-shaped airliner.
2014 P. Munts & S. Mulvhill Northwest Garderner's Handbk. 80/2 Also known as angel wings, caladiums have beautifully marked, arrowhead-shaped leaves.
arrowhead vine n. a flowering plant native to Central and South America and widely cultivated as a house plant, Syngonium podophyllum (family Araceae), having variegated arrowhead-shaped leaves and a greenish-white spadix.
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1943 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gaz. 23 May 4/3 A Pennsylvania Dutch vinegar bottle..stands on the low table with an arrowhead vine growing in it.
1993–4 TLC for Plants Winter 21/2 Arrowhead vine Syngonium podophyllum. Size: up to six feet.
2009 J. A. Coscia Holistic Cat iv. 92 Arrowhead vine, Boston ivy,..peace lily, and red princess—these plants contain oxalic acid and can cause mouth-swelling, staggering, and collapse.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.adj.1384