spear-thrower

[ speer-throh-er ]

noun

, Anthropology.

1. 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.
2. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spear-thrower¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Participants of the Skunk River Knap-In learned how make arrowheads and use a spear-thrower, also known as an atlatl, which was what people used before bow and arrows existed, said Lowell-based knapper Les Lerner, who’s been organizing the event since its inception.

From Washington Times

He was probably a right-handed spear-thrower, judging from the oversized bones in his right arm and leg.

From New York Times

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

From Project Gutenberg

As I try to anticipate a spear-thrower trying to anticipatethe spot where the chunkey-stone rolls to a standstill, I hear a ten thousand strong shout go up over the abandoned chunkey-yard at Cahokia, in support, maybe, of the idea Cahokia will win out.Maybe we should accept our understanding must fall short as a spear falls short of this sandstone disksome take to represent the sun.

From The Guardian

It is therefore to be presumed that they were excluded from this capital, and inhabited, as in Mexico, their own town, under female rulership and that of the “lords of the Night.”57.See the Atlatl or Spear-thrower of the Ancient Mexicans.

From Project Gutenberg