Category:Bow

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 2:15.

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 Bow (bou), v. i.

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

2. To stop. [Archaic] They stoop, they bow down together. Isaiah 46:2.

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. Psalms 95:6.

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 Bow (bou), n.

Defn: 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 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. Genesis 9:13.

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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.)

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

9. (Saddlery) sing. or pl.

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

Defn: To play (music) with a bow. -- v. i.

Defn: To manage the bow.

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

1. (Naut.)

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

2. (Naut.)

Defn: 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.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Bow - The bow was in use in early times both in war and in the chase (Genesis 21:20; Genesis 27:3; Genesis 48:22). The tribe of Benjamin were famous for the use of the bow (1 Chronicles 8:40; 1 Chronicles 12:2; 2 Chronicles 14:8; 2 Chronicles 17:17); so also were the Elamites (Isaiah 22:6) and the Lydians (Jeremiah 46:9). The Hebrew word commonly used for bow means properly to tread (1 Chronicles 5:18; 1 Chronicles 8:40), and hence it is concluded that the foot was employed in bending the bow. Bows of steel (correctly "copper") are mentioned (2 Samuel 22:35; Psalm 18:34). The arrows were carried in a quiver (Genesis 27:3; Isaiah 22:6; Isaiah 49:2; Psalm 127:5). They were apparently sometimes shot with some burning material attached to them (Psalm 120:4). The bow is a symbol of victory (Psalm 7:12). It denotes also falsehood, deceit (Psalm 64:3 - 64:4; Hosea 7:16; Jeremiah 9:3). "The use of the bow" in 2 Samuel 1:18 (A.V.) ought to be "the song of the bow," as in the Revised Version.