Arrow

UK: /ˈærəʊ/ US: /ˈæroʊ/ ,(ar′ō)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ar•row /ˈæroʊ/   n. 

[countable]
1. Sport a slender, long stick with feathers at the back end and a point at the tip that is shot from a bow.
2. anything resembling an arrow, as a drawing used to show direction or movement.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ar•row  (ar′ō), n. 

1. Military, Sport a slender, straight, generally pointed missile or weapon made to be shot from a bow and equipped with feathers at the end of the shaft near the nock, for controlling flight.
2. anything resembling an arrow in form, function, or character.
3. a linear figure having a wedge-shaped end, as one used on a map or architectural drawing, to indicate direction or placement.
4. (cap.) [Astron.] the constellation Sagitta.
5. British Terms, Heraldry, Military See broad arrow. 

v.t. 

6. to indicate the proper position of (an insertion) by means of an arrow (often fol. by in):
   to arrow in a comment between the paragraphs.

• bef. 900; Middle English arewe, arwe, Old English earh; cognate with Old Norse ǫr (plural ǫrvar), Gothic arhwazna; Gmc *arhwō (feminine), akin to Latin arcus (genitive arcūs) bow, arc; thus Latin *arku- bow, pre-Gmc *arku-ā belonging to the bow

ar′row•less, adj. 
ar′row•like′, adj. 

Ar•row  (ar′ō), n. 

1. Biographical Kenneth Joseph, born 1921, U.S. economist: Nobel prize 1972.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

arrow / ˈærəʊ/ noun

1. a long slender pointed weapon, usually having feathers fastened at the end as a balance, that is shot from a bow
2. any of various things that resemble an arrow in shape, function, or speed, such as a sign indicating direction or position

Etymology: Old English arwe; related to Old Norse ör, Gothic arhvazna, Latin arcus bow, arch¹