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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Broad arrow

Arrow \Ar"row\, n. [OE. arewe, AS. arewe, earh; akin to Icel. ["o]r, ["o]rvar, Goth. arhwazna, and perh. L. arcus bow. Cf. Arc.] A missile weapon of offense, slender, pointed, and usually feathered and barbed, to be shot from a bow. Broad arrow.

  1. An arrow with a broad head.

  2. A mark placed upon British ordnance and government stores, which bears a rude resemblance to a broad arrowhead.

Broad arrow

Broad \Broad\ (br[add]d), a. [Compar. Broader (br[add]d"[~e]r); superl. Broadest.] [OE. brod, brad, AS. br[=a]d; akin to OS. br[=e]d, D. breed, G. breit, Icel. brei[eth]r, Sw. & Dan. bred, Goth. braids. Cf. Breadth.]

  1. Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to narrow; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad.

  2. Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of ocean.

  3. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. ``Broad and open day.''
    --Bp. Porteus.

  4. Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on the substantive.

    A broad mixture of falsehood.
    --Locke.

    Note: Hence:

  5. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.

    The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
    --D. Daggett.

    In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way.
    --E. Everett.

  6. Plain; evident; as, a broad hint.

  7. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.

    As broad and general as the casing air.
    --Shak.

  8. (Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth.

  9. Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor.

  10. Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent.

    Note: Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide, large, etc.; as, broad-chested, broad-shouldered, broad-spreading, broad-winged.

    Broad acres. See under Acre.

    Broad arrow, originally a pheon. See Pheon, and Broad arrow under Arrow.

    As broad as long, having the length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another; coming to the same result by different ways or processes.

    It is as broad as long, whether they rise to others, or bring others down to them.
    --L'Estrange.

    Broad pennant. See under Pennant.

    Syn: Wide; large; ample; expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal.

WordNet
broad arrow
  1. n. an arrowhead mark identifying British government property

  2. a mark shaped like an arrowhead; used to mark convicts' clothing

  3. an arrow with a wide barbed head

Wikipedia
Broad arrow

A broad arrow (of which a pheon is a variety) is a type of arrow with a typically flat barbed head. It is a symbol used traditionally in heraldry, most notably in England, and later by the United Kingdom Government to mark government property.

Broad Arrow (pigeon)

Broad Arrow (designated as Pigeon - 41.BA.2793), was a messenger pigeon that was awarded the Dickin Medal in October 1945 for carrying messages for the National Pigeon Service.

Usage examples of "broad arrow".

At one end of the worktable a handful of unpolished broad arrow points lay in a little heap on a leather pad.

At one end of the worktable a handful ofunpolished broad arrow points lay in a little heapon a leather pad.

I did not need, as with the broad arrow or the Tuchuk barbed arrow, to thrust the point through in order to free it.

Karin pointed to two black dots, one on each side of the broad arrow head.

Shef waved the fifty men he had into a double extended line and led them off in a broad arrow formation.

Chapman, or priest, or beggar man, he is likely to find a broad arrow among his ribs first, and questioned as to what his business may be afterward.

Brian was talking to a man dressed like any farmer except for the Broad Arrow.

Governor, England is slapping the Broad Arrow on some of your best potential- you English will live to regret it.

Calvet stared at his broad arrow and imagined the archway tumbling its stones into the ditch to make a bridge.