flechette: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Technical / Military
Quick answer
What does “flechette” mean?
A small, dart-like projectile or weapon, often designed to be dropped from aircraft or fired in large numbers from artillery or shotgun shells.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A small, dart-like projectile or weapon, often designed to be dropped from aircraft or fired in large numbers from artillery or shotgun shells.
Can refer to any small, pointed metallic dart used as a weapon, or figuratively to describe anything sharp, piercing, or targeted with precision in non-military contexts (e.g., 'a flechette of criticism').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Usage is equally rare in both varieties.
Connotations
Primarily associated with modern and historical weaponry. Can have negative connotations related to indiscriminate or particularly injurious anti-personnel weapons.
Frequency
Extremely low-frequency term in general usage. Slightly more likely to appear in American English due to higher prevalence of gun-related discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “flechette” in a Sentence
The [weapon system] fired/launched/scattered flechettes.[Subject] was hit/pierced by a flechette.A [noun] containing flechettes [verb].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “flechette” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The cluster munition was designed to flechette the area with lethal darts.
American English
- The prototype weapon can flechette a target zone from high altitude.
adjective
British English
- The flechette payload caused horrific injuries.
American English
- They recovered a flechette cartridge from the scene.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in military history, political science (laws of war), and materials engineering texts.
Everyday
Extremely rare outside discussions of weapons or military history.
Technical
Standard term in munitions design, military engineering, and legal documents pertaining to weaponry.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “flechette”
- Misspelling as 'flechett', 'fleshette', or 'flechay'. Mispronouncing with /tʃ/ ('ch' as in 'cheese') instead of /ʃ/ ('sh'). Using it to refer to any small arrow without the military/weapon connotation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very low-frequency, specialized term used almost exclusively in military, historical, and legal contexts.
Technically, yes (e.g., 'to flechette a target'), but this usage is extremely rare and jargonistic, confined to technical military writing.
It is a borrowing from French, where 'fléchette' is the diminutive of 'flèche', meaning 'arrow'. It entered English in the early 20th century.
Yes. Certain flechette weapons, particularly those used in artillery and cluster munitions, are criticized for being indiscriminate and causing excessive injury, leading to calls for their regulation or ban under the laws of war.
A small, dart-like projectile or weapon, often designed to be dropped from aircraft or fired in large numbers from artillery or shotgun shells.
Flechette is usually technical / military in register.
Flechette: in British English it is pronounced /fleɪˈʃɛt/, and in American English it is pronounced /flɛˈʃɛt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(rare/figurative) 'to launch a flechette of [criticism/questions]' meaning to deliver a sharp, pointed, and targeted verbal attack.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'FLECHe' like 'FLECHe' in 'FLECHe' of an arrow, plus 'ETTE' meaning small. A 'small arrow' or dart.
Conceptual Metaphor
PRECISION IS A SHARP PROJECTILE; CRITICISM IS A WEAPON.
Practice
Quiz
In which context are you MOST likely to encounter the word 'flechette'?