spear-thrower

[ speer-throh-er ]
/ ˈspɪərˌθroʊ ər /

noun Anthropology.

a flexible device for launching a spear, usually a short cord wound around the spear so that when thrown the weapon will rotate in the air.
Also called atlatl. a rigid device for increasing the speed and distance of a spear when thrown, usually a flat wooden stick with a handhold and a peg or socket to accommodate the butt end of the spear.

Origin of spear-thrower

First recorded in 1870–75

Words nearby spear-thrower

spear gun, spear phish, spear side, spear-head spoon, spear-phishing, spear-thrower, spearfish, spearfisherman, spearhead, spearing, spearman

Example sentences from the Web for spear-thrower

  • Are the spear-thrower and the bull-roarer inevitably thought of as alive?

    Anthropology |Robert Marett

  • Spears and wooden clubs are universal, and the use of the spear-thrower is generally distributed.

    Man, Past and Present |Agustus Henry Keane

  • But it is quite otherwise with his spear-thrower or his bull-roarer.

    Anthropology |Robert Marett