An arrowhead is the sharp, pointed tip attached to the front of an arrow. For thousands of years, people made arrowheads from stone, bone, or metal, carefully shaping them so they would pierce targets cleanly. Ancient hunters knapped (chipped) pieces of flint or obsidian into razor-sharp points. Later, blacksmiths forged arrowheads from bronze and iron.

Different arrowheads served different purposes. Broadhead arrowheads, with wide, blade-like edges, were designed for hunting large animals. Bodkin points, narrow and armor-piercing, were made for warfare. Some arrowheads had barbs, backward-facing points that made them hard to remove once they struck.

Today, archaeologists find ancient arrowheads buried in fields and riverbeds, treating them as valuable clues about how people lived long ago. Modern archers still use arrowheads, though they're now precisely manufactured from steel or other materials. Competition archers might use simple pointed tips, while hunters choose specialized designs.

The word can also describe anything shaped like an arrowhead: a triangular sign pointing a direction, or the pointed leaves of certain plants. When you see an arrowhead shape (▶), you immediately understand which way to look or move.