BOW

bow

(noun) a stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments

bow

(noun) a slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands; used in playing certain stringed instruments

bow

(noun) a weapon for shooting arrows, composed of a curved piece of resilient wood with a taut cord to propel the arrow

bow, fore, prow, stem

(noun) front part of a vessel or aircraft; “he pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line”

bow, bowknot

(noun) a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

bow

(noun) a decorative interlacing of ribbons

bow, curtain call

(noun) an appearance by actors or performers at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience

bow, bowing, obeisance

(noun) bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting

bow, arc

(noun) something curved in shape

submit, bow, defer, accede, give in

(verb) yield to another’s wish or opinion; “The government bowed to the military pressure”

bow, bow down

(verb) bend one’s knee or body, or lower one’s head; “He bowed before the King”; “She bowed her head in shame”

bow

(verb) play on a stringed instrument with a bow

bow

(verb) bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting; “He bowed before the King”

crouch, stoop, bend, bow

(verb) bend one’s back forward from the waist on down; “he crouched down”; “She bowed before the Queen”; “The young man stooped to pick up the girl’s purse”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

bow (plural bows)

A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.

A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).

A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.

A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.

A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.

Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.

The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.

Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear.

Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc, used by hatters.

(nautical) A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.

(saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.

The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.

Coordinate term: blade

Synonyms

• (bow-shaped bend): arc, bend, curve

• (tool for playing stringed instruments): fiddlestick

• (a type of stringed instrument): musical bow

Verb

bow (third-person singular simple present bows, present participle bowing, simple past and past participle bowed)

To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow.

(intransitive) To become bent or curved.

(transitive) To make something bend or curve.

(transitive, figurative) To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.

(intransitive) To premiere.

Etymology 2

Verb

bow (third-person singular simple present bows, present participle bowing, simple past and past participle bowed)

(intransitive) To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.

(transitive and intransitive) To debut.

(intransitive) To defer (to something).

(transitive) To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing.

Hypernyms

• (gesture): gesture; congee, congé, conge

Noun

bow (plural bows)

A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence

Hypernyms

• (gesture): gesture; congee, congé, conge

Etymology 3

Noun

bow (plural bows)

(nautical) The front of a boat or ship.

(rowing) The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat.

Synonyms

• (of a ship): prow

Antonyms

• (of a ship): poop, stern

Usage notes

• Often used in the plural, the ship being considered to have starboard and port bows, meeting at the stern.

Etymology 4

Noun

bow (plural bows)

(obsolete) Alternative spelling of bough

Anagrams

• WBO

Etymology

Proper noun

Bow

A surname.

A suburb of eastern London, England.

A village in Devon, England.

Anagrams

• WBO

Source: Wiktionary

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Bow (bou), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.] Etym: [OE. bowen, bogen, bugen, AS. bugan (generally v.i.); akin to D. buigen, OHG. biogan, G. biegen, beugen, Icel. boginn bent, beygja to bend, Sw. böja, Dan. böie, bugne, Coth. biugan; also to L. fugere to flee, Gr. bhuj to bend. sq. root88. Cf. Fugitive.]

1. To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved. We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness. Milton. The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny. Prescott.

2. To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline. Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion. Bacon. Not to bow and bias their opinions. Fuller.

3. To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension. They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 2 Kings ii. 15.

4. To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,; Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave. Shak.

5. To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.

Bow (bou), v. i.

1. To bend; to curve. [Obs.]

2. To stop. [Archaic] They stoop, they bow down together. Is. xlvi. 2

3. To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or submission; -- often with down. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. Ps. xcv. 6.

4. To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to make bow. Admired, adored by all circling crowd, For wheresoe'er she turned her face, they bowed. Dryden.

Bow (bou), n.

Definition: An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance; as, a bow of deep humility.

Bow (bo), n. Etym: [OE. bowe, boge, AS. boga, fr. AS. bü to bend; akin to D. boog, G. bogen, Icel. bogi. See Bow, v. t.]

1. Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow. I do set my bow in the cloud. Gen. ix. 13.

2. A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled.

3. An ornamental knot, with projecting lops, formed by doubling a ribbon or string.

4. The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.

5. (Mus.)

Definition: An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a stringed instrument.

6. An acrograph.

7. (Mech. & Manuf.)

Definition: Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.

8. (Naut.)

Definition: A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.

9. (Saddlery) sing. or pl.

Definition: Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree. Bow bearer (O. Eng. Law), an under officer of the forest who looked after trespassers.

– Bow drill, a drill worked by a bow and string.

– Bow instrument (Mus.), any stringed instrument from which the tones are produced by the bow.

– Bow window (Arch.) See Bay window.

– To draw a long bow, to lie; to exaggerate. [Colloq.]

Bow (bo), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.]

Definition: To play (music) with a bow.

– v. i.

Definition: To manage the bow.

Bow (bo), n. Etym: [Icel. bogr shoulder, bow of a ship. See Bough.]

1. (Naut.)

Definition: The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow.

2. (Naut.)

Definition: One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar. Bow chaser (Naut.), a gun in the bow for firing while chasing another vessel. Totten. - Bow piece, a piece of ordnance carried at the bow of a ship.

– On the bow (Naut.), on that part of the horizon within 45º on either side of the line ahead. Totten.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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