h₂erkʷ-
“to bend, to form an arrow/bow”arrow/bow
PIE root meaning to bend or form an arrow or bow. Source of Latin arcus, English "arrow," and words for curved weapons.
Discussion
*h₂erkʷ- is a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to bend" or "to form an arc," with primary derivatives relating to bows, arrows, and curved objects.
Latin arcus "bow, arch" is the most prominent reflex, yielding English arc, arch, archer, and arcade. The semantic connection between bending and the bow weapon is straightforward. Gothic arhwazna "arrow" and Old English earh "arrow" reflect the Germanic branch, though English arrow itself comes from this root via a complex derivational history.
The initial laryngeal *h₂ colors the following vowel to *a, visible in Latin arcus. Under Grimm's Law, PIE *kʷ would yield Germanic *hw, seen in the Gothic form. The root's semantics center on the physical act of bending, extended to the instruments produced by bending—particularly the bow as both weapon and architectural feature.
Modern descendants include English arrow, arc, arch, arcade, and the mathematical term arcuate. The architectural sense of arch passed through Latin arcus into Old French arche.
Notes
Source of Latin "arcus" (bow/arch), English "arrow". Root sense: curved.