Adjacent Words

Bow definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOW, v.t.
1. To bend; to inflect; as, to bow vines.
2. To bend the body in token of respect or civility; as, to bow the head.
3. To bend or incline towards, in condescension.
Bow down thine ear to the poor. Eccles.
4. To depress; to crush; to subdue.
His heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave.
He bows the nations to his will.
BOW, v.i. To bend; to curve; to be inflected; to bend, in token of reverence, respect or civility; often with down.
This is the idol to which the world bows.
1. To stoop; to fall upon the knees.
The people bowed upon their knees.
2. To sink under pressure.
They stoop; they bow down together. Isaiah.
BOW, n. An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission.
BOW, n. [See bow, to bend.] An instrument of war, and hunting, made of wood, or other elastic matter, with a string fastened to each end. The bow being bent by drawing the string, and suddenly returning to its natural state by its elastic force, throws an arrow to a great distance, and with force sufficient to kill an animal. It is of two kinds, the long-bow, and the cross-bow, arbalest or arbalest. The use of the bow is called archery.
1. Any thing bent, or in form of a curve; the rainbow; the doubling of a string in a knot; the part of a yoke which embraces the neck; etc.
2. A small machine, formed with a stick and hairs, which being drawn over the strings of an instrument of music, causes it to sound.
3. A beam of wood or brass, with three long screws that direct a lathe of wood or steel to any arch; used in forming drafts of ships, and projections of the sphere, or wherever it is necessary to draw large arches.
4. An instrument for taking the sun's altitude at sea, consisting of a large arch of ninety degrees graduated, a shank or staff, a side-vane, a sight-vane, and a horizon-vane; now disused.
5. An instrument in use among smiths for turning a drill; with turners, for turning wood; with hatters, for breaking fur and wool.
6. Bows of a saddle, are the two pieces of wood laid archwise to receive the upper part of a horse's back, to give the saddle its due form, and to keep it tight.
7. Bow of a ship, is the rounding part of her side forward, beginning where the planks arch inwards, and terminating where they close, at the stem or prow. A narrow bow is called a lean bow; a broad one, a bold or bluff bow.
On the bow, in navigation, is an arch of the horizon, not exceeding 45 degrees, comprehended between some distant object, and that point of the compass which is right ahead.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces [syn: bow, bowknot]
2: a slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands; used in playing certain stringed instruments
3: front part of a vessel or aircraft; "he pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line" [syn: bow, fore, prow, stem]
4: a weapon for shooting arrows, composed of a curved piece of resilient wood with a taut cord to propel the arrow
5: something curved in shape [syn: bow, arc]
6: bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting [syn: bow, bowing, obeisance]
7: an appearance by actors or performers at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience [syn: bow, curtain call]
8: a decorative interlacing of ribbons
9: a stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments v
1: bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head; "He bowed before the King"; "She bowed her head in shame" [syn: bow, bow down]
2: yield to another's wish or opinion; "The government bowed to the military pressure" [syn: submit, bow, defer, accede, give in]
3: bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting; "He bowed before the King"
4: 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" [syn: crouch, stoop, bend, bow]
5: play on a string instrument with a bow

Merriam Webster's

geographical name river 315 miles (507 kilometers) Canada in SW Alberta rising in Banff National Park

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English b?gan; akin to Old High German biogan to bend, Sanskrit bhujati he bends Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to cease from competition or resistance ; submit, yield <refusing to bow to the inevitable — John O'Hara>; also to suffer defeat <bowed to the champion> 2. to bend the head, body, or knee in reverence, submission, or shame 3. to incline the head or body in salutation or assent or to acknowledge applause 4. debut <the play will bow next month> transitive verb 1. to cause to incline 2. to incline (as the head) especially in respect or submission 3. to crush with a heavy burden 4. a. to express by bowing b. to usher in or out with a bow II. noun Date: circa 1656 a bending of the head or body in respect, submission, assent, or salutation; also a show of respect or submission III. noun Etymology: Middle English bowe, from Old English boga; akin to Old English b?gan Date: before 12th century 1. a. something bent into a simple curve b. rainbow 2. a weapon that is made of a strip of flexible material (as wood) with a cord connecting the two ends and holding the strip bent and that is used to propel an arrow 3. archer 4. a. a metal ring or loop forming a handle (as of a key) b. a knot formed by doubling a ribbon or string into two or more loops c. bow tie 1 d. a frame for the lenses of eyeglasses; also the sidepiece of the frame passing over the ear 5. a. a wooden rod with horsehairs stretched from end to end used in playing an instrument of the viol or violin family b. a stroke of such a bow IV. verb Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to bend into a curve 2. to play a stringed musical instrument with a bow transitive verb 1. to cause to bend into a curve 2. to play (a stringed instrument) with a bow V. noun Etymology: Middle English bowe, bowgh, probably from Middle Dutch boech bow, shoulder; akin to Old English b?g bough Date: 15th century 1. the forward part of a ship — often used in plural <crossing the bows> 2. bowman II

Britannica Concise

U.S. film actress. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she escaped poverty at 16 by winning a magazine contest that gave her a bit part in a film. Hired by Paramount Pictures in 1925, she played larger roles in such films as Mantrap (1926) and Kid Boots (1926). After her starring role as a flapper in the successful silent film It (1927), Bow was known as "the It girl," with "It" being understood as the appeal of the liberated young woman. She starred in 20 more films (1927-30), but scandals and nervous breakdowns undermined her career. She retired in 1933 and spent her later years in mental institutions.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a slip-knot with a double loop. b a ribbon, shoelace, etc., tied with this. c a decoration (on clothing, or painted etc.) in the form of a bow. 2 a device for shooting arrows with a taut string joining the ends of a curved piece of wood etc. 3 a a rod with horsehair stretched along its length, used for playing the violin, cello, etc. b a single stroke of a bow over strings. 4 a a shallow curve or bend. b a rainbow. 5 = saddle-bow. 6 a metal ring forming the handle of scissors, a key, etc. 7 US the side-piece of a spectacle-frame. 8 Archery = BOWMAN(1). --v.tr. (also absol.) use a bow on (a violin etc.) (he bowed vigorously). Phrases and idioms: bow-compass (or -compasses) compasses with jointed legs. bow-legged having bandy legs. bow-legs bandy legs. bow-saw Carpentry a narrow saw stretched like a bowstring on a light frame. bow-tie a necktie in the form of a bow (sense 1). bow-window a curved bay window. two strings to one's bow a twofold resource. Etymology: OE boga f. Gmc: cf. BOW(2) 2. v. & n. --v. 1 intr. incline the head or trunk, esp. in greeting or assent or acknowledgement of applause. 2 intr. submit (bowed to the inevitable). 3 tr. cause to incline (bowed his head; bowed his will to hers). 4 tr. express (thanks, assent, etc.) by bowing (bowed agreement to the plan). 5 tr. (foll. by in, out) usher or escort obsequiously (bowed us out of the restaurant). --n. an inclining of the head or body in greeting, assent, or in the acknowledgement of applause, etc. Phrases and idioms: bow and scrape be obsequious; fawn. bow down 1 bend or kneel in submission or reverence (bowed down before the king). 2 (usu. in passive) make stoop; crush (was bowed down by care). bowing acquaintance a person one acknowledges but does not know well enough to speak to. bow out 1 make one's exit (esp. formally). 2 retreat, withdraw; retire gracefully. make one's bow make a formal exit or entrance. take a bow acknowledge applause. Etymology: OE bugan, f. Gmc: cf. BOW(1) 3. n. Naut. 1 (often in pl.) the fore-end of a boat or a ship. 2 = BOWMAN(2). Phrases and idioms: bow wave a wave set up at the bows of a moving ship or in front of a body moving in air. on the bow within 45° of the point directly ahead. shot across the bows a warning. Etymology: LG boog, Du. boeg, ship's bow, orig. shoulder: see BOUGH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow Bow (b[=o]), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.] To play (music) with a bow. -- v. i. To manage the bow.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow Bow (b[=o]), n. [Icel. b[=o]gr shoulder, bow of a ship. See Bough.] 1. (Naut.) The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow. 2. (Naut.) 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 45[deg] on either side of the line ahead. --Totten.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow Bow (bou), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.] [OE. bowen, bogen, bugen, AS. b[=u]gan (generally v. i.); akin to D. buigen, OHG. biogan, G. biegen, beugen, Icel. boginn bent, beygja to bend, Sw. b["o]ja, Dan. b["o]ie, bugne, Coth. biugan; also to L. fugere to flee, Gr. ?, and Skr. bhuj to bend. [root]88. 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,;? to crush; to subdue. Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave. --Shak. 5. To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow Bow (bou), n. 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bow Bow (b[=o]), n. [OE. bowe, boge, AS. boga, fr. AS. b[=u]gan 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 loops, 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.) 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 arcograph. 7. (Mech. & Manuf.) 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.) A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea. 9. (Saddlery) sing. or pl. 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.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. BENDING OR SUBMITTING (bows, bowing, bowed) 1. When you bow to someone, you briefly bend your body towards them as a formal way of greeting them or showing respect. They bowed low to Louis and hastened out of his way... He bowed slightly before taking her bag. VERB: V to n, V • Bow is also a noun. I gave a theatrical bow and waved. N-COUNT: usu sing 2. If you bow your head, you bend it downwards so that you are looking towards the ground, for example because you want to show respect or because you are thinking deeply about something. The Colonel bowed his head and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving... She stood still, head bowed, hands clasped in front of her. = lower VERB: V n, V-ed 3. If you bow to pressure or to someone's wishes, you agree to do what they want you to do. Some shops are bowing to consumer pressure and stocking organically grown vegetables... = yield VERB: V to n 4. If you are bowed by something, you are made unhappy and anxious by it, and lose hope. ...their determination not to be bowed in the face of the allied attacks. V-PASSIVE: be V-ed • To be bowed down means the same as to be bowed. I am bowed down by my sins. PHRASAL VERB: be V-ed P II. PART OF A SHIP (bows) The front part of a ship is called the bow or the bows. The plural bows can be used to refer either to one or to more than one of these parts. The waves were about five feet now, and the bow of the boat was leaping up and down. N-COUNT III. OBJECTS (bows) 1. A bow is a knot with two loops and two loose ends that is used in tying shoelaces and ribbons. Add a length of ribbon tied in a bow. N-COUNT 2. A bow is a weapon for shooting arrows which consists of a long piece of curved wood with a string attached to both its ends. Some of the raiders were armed with bows and arrows. N-COUNT 3. The bow of a violin or other stringed instrument is a long thin piece of wood with fibres stretched along it, which you move across the strings of the instrument in order to play it. N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

The bow was in use in early times both in war and in the chase (Gen. 21:20; 27:3; 48:22). The tribe of Benjamin were famous for the use of the bow (1 Chr. 8:40; 12:2; 2 Chr. 14:8; 17:17); so also were the Elamites (Isa. 22:6) and the Lydians (Jer. 46:9). The Hebrew word commonly used for bow means properly to tread (1 Chr. 5:18; 8:40), and hence it is concluded that the foot was employed in bending the bow. Bows of steel (correctly "copper") are mentioned (2 Sam. 22:35; Ps. 18:34).

The arrows were carried in a quiver (Gen. 27:3; Isa. 22:6; 49:2; Ps. 127:5). They were apparently sometimes shot with some burning material attached to them (Ps. 120:4).

The bow is a symbol of victory (Ps. 7:12). It denotes also falsehood, deceit (Ps. 64:3, 4; Hos. 7:16; Jer. 9:3).

"The use of the bow" in 2 Sam. 1:18 (A.V.) ought to be "the song of the bow," as in the Revised Version.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bo.

See ARCHERY.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Bend, inflect, crook, incurvate, curve, make crooked. 2. Incline, turn downward, bend, bend down, droop, drop. 3. Depress, sink, cast down, bring down, crush, subdue. 4. Attend with bows, conduct with bows, express by bows. II. v. n. 1. Bend, buckle, be inflected, be bent, give way. 2. Incline (in token of respect, reverence, or submission), bend the head, make a bow. III. n. (Naut.) Fore part (of a ship), prow, beak, stem, fore-foot.

Airports

Landing Facility Type	AIRPORT
Airport Code	BOW
EFF_DATE	02/16/2006
FAA Region	ASO
FAA District	ORL
State	FL
State	FLORIDA
County	POLK
County State	FL
City Name	BARTOW
Full Name	BARTOW MUNI
Owner Type	PU
Facility Use	PU
Facility City, State, Zip	"BARTOW, FL 33830"
Elevation	125
Aeronautical chart on which the airport facility appears	MIAMI
Distance from the central business district of the associated city to the airport in nautical miles	04
Direction of airport from the central business district of the associated city	NE
NASP/Federal Agreement Code	NGPRY3
Customs international airport	N
Customs Landing Rights Airport	N
Joint Use	N
Military Landing Rights	Y
Control Tower	Y
Based Single Engine General Aviation Aircraft	094
Based Multi-engine general aviation aircraft	010
Based Jet engine general aviation aircraft	005
Based Helicopters	006
General Aviation, Local Operations	020622
General Aviation - Itinerant Operations	028594
Military Aircraft Operations	000152
Latitude	27.9433616667
Longitude	-81.7834291667
State FIPS code	12
State Postal Code	FL
Version	09

Moby Thesaurus

A string, Amati, Cremona, D string, E string, G string, S-curve, Strad, Stradivari, Stradivarius, accost, address, angle, arc, arch, bass, bass viol, beak, bend, bend back, bend the knee, bend the neck, bend to, bending, bending the knee, bilge, bite the dust, blain, bleb, blister, blob, bob, bob a curtsy, bob down, bootlick, boss, bow, bow and scrape, bow down, bow the head, bow to, bowing, bowing and scraping, bowsprit, bridge, bubble, bulb, bulge, bull fiddle, bulla, bump, bunch, burl, button, cahot, capitulate, carriage bow, catacaustic, catenary, caustic, cave in, cello, chine, circle, clump, conchoid, condyle, conflexure, contrabass, convex, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, cringe to, crook, crossbow, crouch, crouch before, crowd, curl, curtsy, curvation, curvature, curve, decurve, defer, deflect, deflection, diacaustic, dipping the colors, do homage, do obeisance, dome, double bass, dowel, duck, ear, ellipse, embow, embrace, fall, fall down before, fawn, festoon, fiddle, fiddlebow, fiddlestick, figurehead, fingerboard, flange, flap, flatter, flection, flex, flexure, forecastle, foredeck, forepeak, gall, geanticline, genuflect, genuflection, geosyncline, gnarl, go down, go under, greeting, grovel, hail, hairpin turn, hand-clasp, handle, handshake, have enough, hello, hill, homage, hook, how-do-you-do, hug, hump, hunch, hyperbola, inclination, incurvate, incurve, inflect, inflection, jib boom, jog, joggle, kiss, kit, kit fiddle, kit violin, kneel, kneel to, kneeling, knob, knot, knuckle, knuckle to, knuckle under, knur, knurl, kowtow, lick the dust, lickspittle, lip, lituus, longbow, loop, lose, lose out, lose the day, lump, make a leg, make a reverence, make obeisance, making a leg, meander, mole, mountain, nevus, nod, nose, nub, nubbin, nubble, obeisance, obsequiousness, oxbow, papilloma, parabola, peg, play violin, presenting arms, prore, prostration, prow, recurve, reflect, reflection, reflex, retroflex, reverence, rib, ridge, ring, rostrum, round, sag, salaam, salutation, salute, saw, say uncle, scrape, scroll, servility, shoulder, sinus, smile, smile of recognition, soundboard, spine, squat, standing at attention, stem, stoop, string, stud, style, submission, submissiveness, submit, succumb, supination, swag, sweep, tab, take the count, tenor violin, toadeat, toady, tracery, truckle, truckle to, tubercle, tubercule, tumble, tuning peg, turn, turning, vault, verruca, vesicle, viola, violin, violinette, violoncello, violoncello piccolo, violone, violotta, wale, wart, wave, welt, wind