nock

noun

1. a notch for holding the string at either end of a bow
2. a notch in the end of an arrow, for the insertion of the bowstring

Origin: ME nocke < Scand, as in Swed dial. nokke, notch < IE *kneug- < base *ken-, to pinch > nook, nut

transitive verb

1. to make a notch in (a bow or arrow)
2. to set (an arrow) into the bowstring