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at·la·tl

(ät-lätl)

A throwing device usually consisting of a stick fitted with a thong or socket to steady the butt of a spear or dart and extend the length it travels.

[Nahuatl ahtlatl : ahtla-, ahtlatl (from Proto-Uto-Aztecan *wata, atlatl; compare Hopi awta, bow (for shooting arrows), O'odham gāt, bow, gun, rifle, and Southern Paiute (Chemehuevi dialect of the Mojave Desert) acɨ, bow, gun) + -tl, suffix for unpossessed nouns.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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