What does arrowroot mean?
Arrowroot is both a plant and a food product: it names a tropical American herb, Maranta arundinacea, whose swollen rhizomes yield one of the purest starches known to cooking. The extracted powder — also called arrowroot — is prized as a thickener for sauces, gravies, fruit glazes, and puddings, because it produces a clear, glossy result rather than the opaque finish given by wheat flour, and it works well in acidic mixtures where other starches can break down. Naturally gluten-free, it is widely used in allergy-friendly and delicate baking. The name is often said to derive from the plant's reputed use among Indigenous Caribbean peoples as an antidote to arrow wounds. Beyond the kitchen, arrowroot carries associations of gentleness and convalescence, appearing historically in bland preparations made for invalids and infants. Today it is a staple of health-food aisles and professional pastry kitchens alike.
A tropical American plant, Maranta arundinacea, whose rhizomes yield a fine white starch.
"The farmers harvested the arrowroot by hand each dry season."
The starchy powder obtained from this plant's rhizomes, used as a food thickener and in baking.
"Replace the cornflour with arrowroot for a clearer glaze."
As a mass noun referring to the starch, arrowroot has no plural. A plural form is used only when counting individual plants.
"The greenhouse held several young arrowroots ready for transplanting."
Arrowroot earned its name because Caribbean peoples used its starchy root to draw out poison from arrow wounds — a remedy, not an ingredient.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arrowroot
The English word 'arrowroot' dates to the early 17th century and is a compound of 'arrow' and 'root', reflecting a widespread belief that the plant's root was used by Indigenous peoples of the West Indies to treat wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows. The plant itself is native to tropical America and was carried through Caribbean trade into European kitchens, where its starch became a popular thickener and invalid food. The botanical genus name Maranta honors the 16th-century Italian physician and botanist Bartolomeo Maranti, while the species epithet arundinacea comes from Latin arundo, meaning 'reed', referring to the plant's reed-like stems. There are no close cognates of the compound itself outside English, though its parts trace back through Germanic roots ('arrow') and Old English 'rōt' (from Old Norse 'rót').
How arrowroot is actually used
In cooking, arrowroot is valued for producing a clear, glossy gel without the cloudiness of flour and for tolerating acidic ingredients better than cornstarch; it is often preferred in gluten-free baking. The word is neutral in register and appears mainly in culinary, botanical, and historical contexts.
Easily confused with arrowroot
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic beverage from Asia, whereas arrowroot is a plant or the starch derived from it.
Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava, not from the Maranta plant that yields arrowroot.