Word of the Day

: January 23, 2008

fletcher

noun FLETCH-er

What It Means

: a maker of arrows

fletcher in Context

The fletcher presented the village's archery champion with his most recent design, an arrow crafted to travel in a steady course through any headwind.

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.