arrow

A-roh/ˈæɹoʊ/UKAIR-oh/ˈæɹəʊ/

10 meanings of arrow

1
archerynouncountable
A shafted projectile with a pointed tip and stabilizing fins at the tail, launched from a bow.
The archer loosed an arrow that struck the center of the target.
The archer pulled an arrow from her quiver and aimed carefully at the target.
UsageUsually shoot an arrow or fire an arrow, often at a target.
2
nouncountable
A mark or symbol shaped like an arrow, such as → or ->, used to point in a direction or, in computing and mathematics, to show a relationship or operation.
A green arrow on the screen pointed toward the next gate.
The map used red arrows to trace the hiking route.
UsageAn arrow points to or toward something; signs tell you to follow the arrows.
Similarpointer
Note
Mathematicians give the sign two named ends. Robert R. Stoll and Edward T. Wong's Linear Algebra (1968) speaks of an arrow's initial point and terminal point. It writes the arrow from A to B as AB with a small arrow drawn over the letters. That habit of treating the drawn sign as an object with a start and a finish carries straight into the graph-theory edge.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Robert R. Stoll and Edward T. Wong wrote Linear Algebra, originally published in 1968. api.pageplace.de
The book calls an arrow's ends its initial point and terminal point, and denotes the arrow from A to B by AB with an arrow above. api.pageplace.de
An arrow in graph theory is a directed edge with a starting endpoint and an ending endpoint. en.wikipedia.org
3
graph theorynouncountable
A connecting line in a graph that runs in one direction, from one vertex to another.
Each arrow in the graph runs from one vertex to another in a single direction.
Reversing the arrows in the diagram produces the opposite flow.
Similararc
Note
Graph theorists treat it as an ordered pair of vertices (u, v), running from its tail u to its head v. Order is the whole point: when u and v differ, (v, u) is a different arrow, not the same one read backward. A graph built from such edges is a directed graph, or digraph. Arrow and directed edge are interchangeable in this field, and arrow is the handier word for diagrams.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
A directed edge is represented as an ordered pair of vertices. en.wikipedia.org
The first vertex is the tail and the second is the head. en.wikipedia.org
This holds when u and v are distinct. For a loop, u = v, so reversing the pair leaves it unchanged. math.hws.edu
Digraph is another name for directed graph. en.wiktionary.org
Arrow and directed edge are synonymous in graph theory. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

4
verbintransitive
To move, or send something, swiftly and directly, the way an arrow flies.
Migrating geese arrow across the evening sky in tight formation.
The kayak arrowed between the rocks as the current quickened.
UsageUsually followed by a direction: arrow across the sky, arrow between the rocks, arrow up.
Similardart, shoot, streak
Note
Writers use it for movement that is fast and straight, whether of birds, boats or sleds. Maaza Mengiste's The Shadow King (2019) has a startled bird that "arrows up, into the sun."
5
dartsnouncolloquialcountable
A dart thrown at the board in the game of darts.
He needed his last arrow to land in double sixteen to win the leg.
She lined up her arrows on the table before her turn.
UsageUsed freely alongside dart. Good arrows! praises a well-placed throw.
Similardart
Note
Players and commentators borrow the archer's word for the dart. The plural turns up as praise. In John Eaton's It's Gonna Rain All Night (2014), a throw that lands well is greeted with "Good arrows!" from around the room, while silence comes from the opposition corner.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
John Eaton wrote It's Gonna Rain All Night. en.wiktionary.org
The passage contains the praise “Good arrows!” from around the room and silence from the opposition corner. en.wiktionary.org
6
move on screenverbintransitive
To move through a screen or menu by pressing the arrow keys.
Players arrow across the grid to position each piece.
He arrowed down to the last row of the spreadsheet.
UsageFollowed by a direction: arrow down, arrow left, arrow through a list.
Similarscroll, navigate
7
map between objectsnouncountable
In category theory, a morphism, or map from one object to another.
Each arrow in the category represents a map between two objects.
Two arrows compose when the target of one matches the source of the other.
Similarmorphism
Note
In category theory, arrow and morphism are two names for the same thing. The usual notation, f: A → B, shows why the picture fits. Arrows compose associatively whenever the codomain of one meets the domain of the next. Every object also carries an identity arrow that leaves it unchanged. Writers move freely between the two words, often favoring arrow when reasoning with diagrams.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
Arrow and morphism are synonymous in category theory. kestrel.edu
A morphism is conventionally written using an arrow between its objects. math.uni-hamburg.de
Composition requires the first arrow's codomain to equal the next arrow's domain. en.wikipedia.org
Composition is associative. en.wikipedia.org
Every object has an identity arrow. kestrel.edu
8
assign a taskverbSingaporeSinglishtransitive
To single out or nominate someone to take responsibility for something, especially an unpleasant task.
Management arrowed her for the late-night calls nobody volunteered for.
Committees tend to arrow whoever is absent for the dullest assignments.
UsageOften arrow someone to do a job or for a task: arrowed me to clean the storeroom.
Similarnominate, designate, assign, pick, tap
Note
This is Singlish, and it began as military slang. To arrow someone is to point them out for a job nobody wants. It is transitive and usually takes a to-infinitive: "my boss arrow me to do this job," in Susan Tsang and Audrey Perera's Singapore at Random (2011).
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
This Singlish sense originated as military slang. en.wiktionary.org
Singapore at Random is attributed to Susan Tsang and Audrey Perera. en.wiktionary.org
The quoted wording occurs in Singapore at Random. en.wiktionary.org
9
noun
The flower cluster, or tassel, produced by sugar cane once the plant is mature.
10
verb
Of sugar cane, to develop its flowering tassel.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English arwe, from Old English earh, going back through Proto-Germanic *arhwō to Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- ("bow, arrow"). It is related to Icelandic ör ("arrow") and Latin arcus ("bow").

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

Arrow derives from Middle English arwe. en.wiktionary.org
Middle English arwe derives from Old English earh. en.wiktionary.org
Old English earh ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *arhwō. en.wiktionary.org
The ancestry extends to Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo-, meaning “bow, arrow.” en.wiktionary.org
Arrow is related to Icelandic ör, meaning “arrow.” en.wiktionary.org
Arrow is related to Latin arcus, meaning “bow.” en.wiktionary.org