'arrowleaf' originates from Modern English, specifically a compound of the words 'arrow' and 'leaf', where 'arrow' meant 'a pointed projectile' and 'leaf' meant 'the flattened green structure of a plant'.

'arrowleaf' was formed in Modern English by compounding 'arrow' + 'leaf'. The element 'arrow' traces back through Old English and Germanic roots meaning 'projectile', and 'leaf' traces to Old English 'lēaf' meaning 'leaf'. Over time the compound has been used as a descriptive botanical name for plants with arrow-shaped leaves.

Initially a literal compound describing a 'leaf like an arrow' or 'leaf of an arrow (metaphorically)', it evolved to mean more specifically 'an arrowhead-shaped leaf' and by extension a plant characterized by such leaves.