What does arrow mean?
An arrow is a thin, straight shaft with a pointed head and feathered tail, designed to be shot from a bow. For millennia it served as one of humanity's primary weapons and hunting tools, and it remains central to the sport of archery today. Beyond the physical object, 'arrow' has taken on a vital figurative life: the arrow symbol (→) is among the most universally understood signs, guiding travelers, marking directions on maps, and structuring diagrams and user interfaces. In everyday English the word carries connotations of speed, directness, and precision — we speak of moving 'straight as an arrow' or of an arrow-straight path. The word is simple, ancient, and remarkably stable: its core meaning has changed little since Old English, even as its applications have expanded from battlefield and forest to screen and page.
A slender, straight shaft with a pointed tip, shot from a bow; also, a directional symbol resembling such a shaft.
"The hunter's arrow struck the deer cleanly."
The plural is 'arrows'.
(Informal, chiefly British) To move swiftly and directly in a straight line.
"He arrowed through the crowded market to catch the bus."
Informal register; more common in British English.
Regular plural; used identically in British and American English.
"The quiver held twenty arrows."
The word 'arrow' traces back over a thousand years — and the symbol → on your screen is its modern descendant, pointing the way since medieval manuscripts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arrow
'Arrow' derives from the Old English 'earh', which itself was borrowed from or influenced by Old Norse 'ör' (or related Germanic forms), reflecting the deep antiquity of archery in northern Europe. The modern spelling stabilized by the Middle English period. The word's Proto-Germanic root connects it to words in other Germanic languages such as Dutch 'pijl'-related terms only distantly; closer cognates include Scots 'airle' variants and the archaic English dialectal forms. Its association with the Latin-derived 'arcus' family (via 'archery') is a later semantic pairing rather than a shared etymology.
Related word forms
How arrow is actually used
As a noun, 'arrow' is standard across formal and informal contexts. As a verb, forms like 'to arrow through traffic' are informal British usage. The symbolic sense (→) is ubiquitous in signage and digital interfaces.
Easily confused with arrow
This is not a standard English word; 'arrow' should not be confused with any similarly spelled common word.