noun
Common
fletcher
FLEHCH-uh
Fletcher (noun) means someone whose trade is making arrows, especially fitting them with feathers (fletching). Example: “The village fletcher supplied arrows to the entire regiment.”
noun
1
Someone whose trade is making arrows, especially fitting them with feathers (fletching).
"The village fletcher supplied arrows to the entire regiment."
"An arrow maker is a fletcher, or, more exactly, one who feathers arrows."
— , Sticks and Strings (A pot-pourri on bow and arrows from an article in (1955)
"The fletcher glued each feather carefully onto the end of the wooden shaft."
"At the museum, a fletcher showed us how medieval arrows were made."
How to use fletcher
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old trade name for someone who makes or feathers arrows — now mostly survives as a surname.
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Word forms
- Plural
- fletchers
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The village _____ supplied arrows to the entire regiment.
Etymology
From Old French flechier ("arrow-maker"), from fleche ("arrow"). It later became common as an English surname for people in that trade.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for fletcher
See all rhymes for fletcher →Frequently asked questions
What does “fletcher” mean?
The word “fletcher” means someone whose trade is making arrows, especially fitting them with feathers (fletching). In plain terms, an old trade name for someone who makes or feathers arrows — now mostly survives as a surname.
How do you pronounce “fletcher”?
“Fletcher” is pronounced FLEHCH-uh (/ˈflɛt͡ʃ.ə(ɹ)/ in IPA).
How do you use “fletcher” in a sentence?
Here is “fletcher” used in a sentence: “The village fletcher supplied arrows to the entire regiment.”
What part of speech is “fletcher”?
“Fletcher” is a noun.
Where does the word “fletcher” come from?
The word “fletcher” comes from Old French. From Old French flechier ("arrow-maker"), from fleche ("arrow"). It later became common as an English surname for people in that trade.
Is “fletcher” a common word?
“Fletcher” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What is the difference between a fletcher and a bowyer?
A fletcher is a craftsperson who makes arrows, especially fitting them with feathers or fletching for stable flight. A bowyer, by contrast, is someone whose trade is making bows rather than arrows, so the two crafts are related but distinct.
Is fletcher still used as a common word today?
Fletcher is now rarely used as a common noun since arrow-making is no longer a widespread trade, but it survives mainly as a surname, a legacy of the medieval occupational naming tradition where trades became family names.
Why is fletcher also a common surname?
Fletcher became a common surname because medieval English surnames were often derived from a person's occupation, and arrow-fletching was an important trade, so families of fletchers passed the name down through generations.
