Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Fletch
Fletch is a word derived from the Middle English from the Old French “fleche,” meaning feather or arrow. A fletch is the fin-shaped feather stabilization on arrows or darts. A fletcher is a person who makes or feathers arrows. If you know someone whose last name is Fletcher, they probably had a distant relative who was an arrow maker.
It’s no longer a common occupation, but it joins the list of Middle English names that reflected people’s jobs or talents during the Middle Ages: Archer, Mason, Taylor, Weaver, Potter, Miller, Brewer, Chandler, Cooper, Smith, Thatcher, Dyer, Baker, Barber and Carpenter are just a few of the well-known ones. Derivatives from other countries include Armbruster, from the German for crossbow maker; Boucher, French for butcher; Cavallo, Italian for horse, meaning a horseman; Cloutier, from the French clou for nails, for someone who made or sold nails; Fenstermacher, German for window maker; and Geiger, German for a violinist.
Names that correspond to a person’s occupation or interests are called aptonyms. For example, Andrew Parr, a PGA golfer and Margaret Court, the retired top-ranked Australian tennis player, are two suitably named sports figures. It’s fun to look through newspapers for aptonyms and find aptly named folks like The Rev. Blessing; Dr. Payne, dentist; James Burns, fire chief; and Sebastian Coffin, funeral director. I am still hoping to find a novelist named Paige Turner, a mystery writer called Cliff Hanger, or maybe a poet named Moe Juste.
