bow
/ˈboʊ̯/
Frequency: 4.30 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
noun
A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).
noun
A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
noun
A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.
noun
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.
Example Sentences
- "Holonym: bow and arrow"
- "Bows come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and cultures, and what is true of one, is not necessarily true of another, so we're gonna be stereotyping here, but, in general, a bow is a way of launching a pointy stick at somebody that you don't like."
- "I do set my bow in the cloud."
- "[…] she kept toying with a pair of old sunglasses which lay beside her on the kitchen table. One of the bows had been mended with adhesive tape, and one of the lenses was cracked."
- "The musician bowed his violin expertly."
- "The shelf bowed under the weight of the books."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈboʊ̯/
- British English: /ˈbəʊ̯/