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Glite Dictionary
🪶 Arrow feathers 🪶 Attaching feathers
fletching

fletching

8.7
Feathers or small plastic fins attached to an arrow to make it fly straight
  • noun
  • /ˈflɛtʃɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : plumas
  • Bad Belly gently replaced the shaft, careful not to damage the feather fletching.
  • arrows with bright fletching

Examples

  • The old arrows still had their fletching, which helped them fly straight despite years of use.

  • Their tails featured feather fletchings attached with an adhesive along with a knock end.

  • The archer chose colorful fletching for his arrows to improve their visibility during practice.

  • Each arrow was fitted with precise fletching to ensure a stable and accurate flight path.

Synonyms

fletch
vsfletching
  • Specialized
1 9.9

One of the feathers near the end of an arrow that help it fly straight

refers to all such feathers or vanes as a group on the shaft
vane
vsfletching
  • Specialized
7.7

A small fin on the tail of an arrow or rocket that keeps it steady in flight

applies only to feathers or vanes on arrow shafts not fins on other devices

Surface Forms

fletching singular
fletchings plural

Morphology

fletching = fletch (semi-transparent) = fletch + ing

The noun is transparently built from the verb 'fletch' plus '-ing', but the resulting meaning names the feathering part of the arrow rather than the action itself.

Etymology

The word fletching comes from an old French word for 'arrow' and from the name fletcher, a maker of arrows. The fletching are the feathers fixed to an arrow that help it 'fly straight'.