English Explanatory Dictionary

javelin

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon.
  2. A metal-tipped spear thrown for distance in an athletic field event.
  3. A javelinfish (Coelorinchus australis).
verb
  1. To pierce with a javelin.
  2. To throw like a javelin.
  3. To fall like a javelin.

Pronunciation

jăv'lǐn /ˈd͡ʒæv.(ə.)lɪn/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-javelin.wav

Word forms

javelin javelins javelining javelinning javelined javelinned

Etymology

From Middle English chafeveleyn, gavelong, from Old French javelline, diminutive of javelot, diminutive of *javel, from Vulgar Latin *gabalus, from Gaulish gabulum (compare Old Irish gabul (“fork”), Welsh gafl), from Proto-Celtic *gablā (“fork, forked branch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-. The Old French term was also borrowed into Middle Low German as gaveline, and into Middle High German as gabilot. Cognate with gavelock, gaffle.

Related words

discus hammer

Derived words

javazon javelin dart javelineer javelinier javelinist javelin sand boa javelin throw javelin thrower

Translations

Bulgarian: копие Catalan: javelina Chinese Mandarin: 標槍 /标枪 Czech: oštěp Danish: spyd Dutch: speer Esperanto: ĵetlanco Finnish: keihäs French: javelot Galician: xavelina Georgian: ხელშუბი Georgian: სატყორცნი შუბი German: Speer Greek: ακόντιο Ancient Greek: ἀκόντιον Hebrew: כידון Hungarian: gerely Ido: javelino Indonesian: lembing Japanese: ジャベリン Japanese: 槍 Latvian: šķēps Lithuanian: akstis Lithuanian: ietis Macedonian: копје Malayalam: ജാവലിൻ Norwegian Bokmål: spyd Norwegian Nynorsk: spyd Norwegian Nynorsk: spjut Persian: نیزه Plautdietsch: Spiess Polish: oszczep Portuguese: dardo Romanian: suliță Russian: копьё Slovak: oštep Slovene: kopje Spanish: jabalina Swedish: spjut Tagalog: balibabat Tagalog: habalina Thai: หลาว Thai: แหลน Turkish: cirit Ottoman Turkish: جرید Ukrainian: спис
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