Dartlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a pointed form or swift movement similar to a dart contributes to something being defined through its quick and accurate characteristics inherent in a dart's nature
2. Having a shape or movement that is sharply pointed and fast like that of a dart
3. Characterized by a sleek form or a rapid, straight motion resembling how a dart moves

Etymology: "Dartlike" is a plain compound: "dart" with the suffix "-like," meaning "resembling." The suffix comes from Old English "-līċ," which is related to "līc," the word for "body" or "form," so "-like" originally meant "having the body or form of." That is why the English suffix can still be attached to almost any noun to mean "in the shape or manner of" it. The first part, "dart," has a longer and more tangled path. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word for a spear or javelin, which passed into Frankish, then into Medieval Latin as "dardus," then into Old French as "dart," and finally into Middle English. Its earliest sense was a thrown spear, and the small, hand-thrown missile we know today developed from that.

Synonyms: sharp, pointed