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Arrow vs Spear - What's the difference?

arrow | spear |

As nouns the difference between arrow and spear

is that arrow is a projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow while spear is a long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.

As verbs the difference between arrow and spear

is that arrow is to move swiftly and directly (like an arrow while spear is to penetrate or strike with, or as if with, any long narrow object. To make a thrusting motion that catches an object on the tip of a long device.

As a contraction arrow

is contraction of ever a|lang=en.

As a proper noun Spear is

{{surname|A=An English|from=nicknames}.

arrow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) earh, (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
  • *
    • Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
  • A sign or symbol used to indicate a direction (e.g. \to).
  • (lb) A directed edge.
  • A dart.
    • Synonyms
    * (projectile) streal * (in graph theory) arc, directed edge
    Derived terms
    * arrowsmith * arrow-finger * arrowhead * arrow of time / time's arrow * arrowroot * arrowy * straight as an arrow
    See also

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To move swiftly and directly (like an arrow)
  • To let fly swiftly and directly
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012
    • , date=April 9 , author=Mandeep Sanghera , title=Tottenham 1 - 2 Norwich , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Jermain Defoe dinked in an equaliser and Gareth Bale hit the crossbar for the hosts before Elliott Bennett arrowed in Norwich's winner. }}

    Etymology 2

    Representing pronunciation.

    Contraction

    (en-cont)
  • (obsolete)
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, page 153:
    • though he hath lived here this many years, I don't believe there is arrow a servant in the house ever saw the colour of his money.

    spear

    English

    (wikipedia spear)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
  • A soldier armed with such a weapon; a spearman.
  • * 2011 , Thomas Penn, Winter King , Penguin 2012, p. 187:
    • Two of the four spears came directly from Lady Margaret's staff. One was her great-nephew Maurice St John […].
  • A sharp tool used by fishermen to retrieve fish.
  • (ice hockey) an illegal maneuver using the end of a hockey stick to strike into another hockey player.
  • (wrestling) a running tackle on an opponent performed in professional wrestling.
  • A spearman.
    • (Sir Walter Scott)
  • A shoot, as of grass; a spire.
  • The feather of a horse.
  • The rod to which the bucket, or plunger, of a pump is attached; a pump rod.
  • A long, thin strip from a vegetable.
    • asparagus and broccoli spears

    Derived terms

    * spearbush * spear gun * spearhead * spearmint * spear thrower * spear tackle * spearwood

    See also

    * assegai, assagai, assagaie, assagay, assegay, azagaia, hassagay, hassaguay, zagaie, zagaye * atlatl * bayonet * harpoon * javelin * joust * lance * pike * spit, used to grill food on fire * woomera

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To penetrate or strike with, or as if with, any long narrow object. To make a thrusting motion that catches an object on the tip of a long device.
  • To shoot into a long stem, as some plants do.
    • (Mortimer)

    Anagrams

    * ----