Etymology

atlatl

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Today it means: A spearthrower consisting of a wooden stick with a thong or perpendicularly protruding hook on the rear end that grips a grove or socket on the butt of its accompanying spear (or dart), intended to steady the spear immediately prior to throwing, to increase its potential range when thrown, and to increase its force of penetration of the target. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Classical Nahuatl ahtlatl
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The story

  1. Classical Nahuatl · borrowed fromahtlatl
  2. Classical Nahuatl · borrowed fromahtlatl
  3. English todayatlatl

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl ahtlatl.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A spearthrower consisting of a wooden stick with a thong or perpendicularly protruding hook on the rear end that grips a grove or socket on the butt of its accompanying spear (or dart), intended to steady the spear immediately prior to throwing, to increase its potential range when thrown, and to increase its force of penetration of the target.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.