javelin

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon.
2. n. Sports A metal or metal-tipped spear thrown for distance in track and field competitions. The men's javelin is about 2.6 meters (8 ¹/₂ feet) in length; the women's is about 2.2 meters (7 ¹/₄ feet) in length.
3. n. Sports The athletic field event in which a javelin is thrown.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A spear intended to be thrown by the hand, with or without the aid of a thong or a. throwing-stick. The word is the general term for all such weapons. The javelin was in use in Europe in the middle ages, and in antiquity. Among Oriental nations and among modern savage tribes it is a common weapon of offense. See pilum, amentum, and jereed.
2. n. In heraldry, a bearing representing a short-handled weapon with a barbed head, and so distinguished from a half-spear, which has a lance-head without barbs.
3. To strike or wound with or as with a javelin.

Wiktionary

1. n. A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon
2. n. A metal-tipped spear thrown for distance in an athletic field event

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A sort of light spear, to be thrown or cast by the hand; anciently, a weapon of war used by horsemen and foot soldiers; now used chiefly in hunting the wild boar and other fierce game.
2. n. A wooden shaft resembling a spear, thrown by contestants in a contest called the javelin throw; the one throwing the javelin furthest wins the contest. The javelin throw is one of the field events of the modern Olympic Games.
3. v. To pierce with a javelin.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an athletic competition in which a javelin is thrown as far as possible
2. n. a spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events