fletcher

noun

fletch·​er ˈfle-chər 

: a maker of arrows

Did you know?

Fletcher is one of a number of English words that once commonly referred to occupations but are now better known as surnames. "Fletcher" came to English from the Anglo-French noun fleche, meaning "arrow; our verb "to fletch" can mean "to furnish (an arrow) with a feather." Other names for occupations that are now commonly used as surnames include "cooper" (a person who makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs), "collier" (a coal miner), "chandler" (a person who make candles), "sawyer" (a person who saws wood), and "wainwright" (a person who makes wagons). And, of course, there are names such as Baker, Carpenter, and Miller whose origins are more or less self-explanatory.

Examples of fletcher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Equally interesting: blacksmiths, Native American potters and adobe-house builders, fletchers and coopers (that's arrow- and barrel-makers), glaziers making glass from sand, cooks trying a mac and cheese recipe written in 1784. —Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, 25 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fleccher, from Anglo-French flecher, from fleche arrow — more at flèche

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fletcher

• etcher
• lecher
• stretcher

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Biographical Definition

Fletcher

biographical name

Fletch·​er ˈfle-chər 

John 1579–1625 English dramatist