Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “arrow” come from?

Arrow comes from Middle English arwe, from Old English earh, from Proto-Germanic arhwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂érkʷo-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁ergʰ-.

arrow (English): A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a...

Definitions

  1. A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a...

Ancestry of “arrow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishārwe—
2Old Englisharwearrow
3Proto-West Germanic*arhu—
4Proto-Germanicarhwōarrow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂érkʷo-bow, arrow

Words derived from “arrow”

  • arrowhead
  • arrowy
  • arrowlike
  • arrowheaded
  • arrowwood
  • arrowleaf
  • arrowslit
  • arrowless
  • arrowsmith
  • arrowgrass
  • arrowworm
  • arrowback
  • arrowproof
  • arrow-hole
  • Arrowverse
  • fat arrow
  • arrowword
  • arrow worm
  • arrowlet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂érkʷo- →