# javelin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒæv.(ə.)lɪn/ · frequency rank #32,876

## Definitions
1. A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon.
2. A metal-tipped spear thrown for distance in an athletic field event.
3. A javelinfish (Coelorinchus australis).

## Etymology
From Middle English chafeveleyn, gavelong, from Old French javelline, diminutive of javelot, diminutive of *javel, from Vulgar Latin *gabalus, from Gaulish gabulum (compare Old Irish gabul (“fork”), Welsh gafl), from Proto-Celtic *gablā (“fork, forked branch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-. The Old French term was also borrowed into Middle Low German as gaveline, and into Middle High German as gabilot. Cognate with gavelock, gaffle.

## Common misspellings (10)
`ajvelin`, `jaevlin`, `javeiln`, `javelinn`, `javellin`, `javelni`, `javlein`, `javvelin`, `jjavelin`, `jvaelin`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/javelin