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bow

 - 15 dictionary results
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bow

1  [bou]
Use bow in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment.
2. to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable.
3. to bend or curve downward; stoop: the pines bowed low.
–verb (used with object)
4. to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.: He bowed his head to the crowd.
5. to cause to submit; subdue; crush.
6. to cause to stoop or incline: Age had bowed his head.
7. to express by a bow: to bow one's thanks.
8. to usher (someone) with a bow (usually fol. by in, out, etc.): They were bowed in by the footman.
9. to cause to bend; make curved or crooked.
–noun
10. an inclination of the head or body in salutation, assent, thanks, reverence, respect, submission, etc.
—Verb phrase
11. bow out, to resign a position or withdraw from a job, competition, obligation, etc.: He bowed out after two terms as governor.
—Idioms
12. bow and scrape, to be excessively polite or deferential.
13. make one's bow, to appear publicly for the first time, as a performer, politician, etc.: The young pianist made her bow last night to an appreciative audience.
14. take a bow, to step forward or stand up in order to receive recognition, applause, etc.: The conductor had the soloists take a bow.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME bowen (v.), OE būgan; c. D buigen; akin to G biegen, Goth biugan, ON buga, etc.

Related forms:
bowedness, noun
bow⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See bend 1 . 2. surrender, accede, defer, acquiesce, comply, capitulate.
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bow

2  [boh]
–noun
1. a flexible strip of wood or other material, bent by a string stretched between its ends, for shooting arrows: He drew the bow and sent the arrow to its target.
2. an instrument resembling this, used for various purposes, as rotating a drill or spindle, or loosening entangled or matted fibers.
3. a bend or curve.
4. Also called bowknot. a looped knot composed of two or more loops and two ends, as for tying together the ends of a ribbon or string.
5. any separate piece of looped, knotted, or shaped gathering of ribbon, cloth, paper, etc., used as a decoration, as on a package, dress, or the like.
6. a long rod, originally curved but now nearly straight, with horsehairs stretched from one end to the other, used for playing on a musical instrument of the violin and viol families.
7. a single movement of such a device over the strings of a violin, viol, or the like.
8. bow tie.
9. something curved or arc-shaped.
10. a saddlebow.
11. an archer; bowman: He is the best bow in the county.
12. temple 2 (def. 3).
13. a U-shaped piece for placing under an animal's neck to hold a yoke.
14. Building Trades. a flexible rod used for laying out large curves.
15. the part of a key grasped by the fingers.
16. the loop on the stem of a watch by which the watch is attached to a chain or the like.
17. a rainbow.
–adjective
18. curved outward at the center; bent: bow legs.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
19. to bend into the form of a bow; curve.
20. Music. to perform by means of a bow upon a stringed instrument.
21. Textiles Obsolete. to loosen by passing a vibrating bow among entangled fibers.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME bowe (n.), OE boga; c. D boog, G Bogen, ON bogi; akin to bow 1

Related forms:
bowedness, noun
bowless, adjective
bowlike, adjective

bow

3  [bou]
–noun
1. Nautical, Aeronautics.
a. the forward end of a vessel or airship.
b. either side of this forward end, esp. with reference to the direction of a distant object: a mooring two points off the port bow.
2. bows, Nautical. the exterior of the forward end of a vessel, esp. one in which the hull slopes back on both sides of the stem.
3. the foremost oar in rowing a boat.
4. Also called bowman, bow oar. the person who pulls that oar.
–adjective
5. of or pertaining to the bow of a ship.
—Idioms
6. bows on, (of a ship) with the bow foremost: The vessel approached us bows on.
7. bows under, (of a ship) shipping water at the bow: The ship was bows under during most of the storm.
8. on the bow, Nautical. within 45° to the heading of the vessel.
Origin:
1620–30; < LG boog (n.) or D boeg or Dan bov; see bough

Bow

  [boh]
–noun
Clara, 1905–65, U.S. film actress: known as the “It Girl.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bow
bow 1   (bou)   
n.   Nautical

  1. The front section of a ship or boat.

  2. The oar or the person wielding the oar closest to the bow.


[Middle English boue, probably of Low German origin; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]
bow 2   (bou)   
v.   bowed, bow·ing, bows

v.   intr.

  1. To bend or curve downward; stoop.

  2. To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

  3. To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit. See Synonyms at yield.

v.   tr.

  1. To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

  2. To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body.

  3. To escort deferentially: bowed us into the restaurant.

  4. To cause to acquiesce; submit.

  5. To overburden: Grief bowed them down.

n.  An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.
Phrasal Verb(s):
bow outTo remove oneself; withdraw.

Idiom(s):
bow and scrapeTo behave obsequiously.

[Middle English bowen, from Old English būgan; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]
bow 3   (bō)   
n.  

  1. A bent, curved, or arched object.

  2. A weapon consisting of a curved, flexible strip of material, especially wood, strung taut from end to end and used to launch arrows.

    1. An archer.

    2. Archers considered as a group.

    3. Music A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families.

    4. A stroke made by this rod.

    5. A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.

    6. The part of such a frame passing over the ear.

    1. Music A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families.

    2. A stroke made by this rod.

    3. A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.

    4. The part of such a frame passing over the ear.

  5. A knot usually having two loops and two ends; a bowknot.

    1. A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.

    2. The part of such a frame passing over the ear.

  7. A rainbow.

  8. An oxbow.

v.   bowed, bow·ing, bows

v.   tr.

  1. To bend (something) into the shape of a bow.

  2. Music To play (a stringed instrument) with a bow.

v.   intr.

  1. To bend into a curve or bow.

  2. Music To play a stringed instrument with a bow.


[Middle English bowe, from Old English boga; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]
Bow   (bō)   
American actress whose roles in silent films, such as Mantrap (1926) and It (1927), made her a symbol of the Roaring Twenties.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bow  (v.)
O.E. bugan "to bend, to bend the body in condescension," also "to turn back" (class II strong verb; past tense beag, pp. bogen), from P.Gmc. *bugon (cf. M.L.G. bugen, O.H.G. biogan, Goth. biugan "to bend," O.N. boginn "bent"), from *beugen, from PIE base *bheugh- (cf. Skt. bhujati "bends, thrusts aside"). The noun is first recorded 1656. Bow out "withdraw" is from 1942.

bow  (n1.)
"weapon," O.E. boga "archery bow, arch, rainbow," from P.Gmc. *bugon (see bow (v.)). The sense of "a looped knot" is from 1547. The musician's bow (1580) was formerly curved like the archer's. Bow-legged is attested from 1552.

bow  (n2.)
"front of a ship," 1342, from O.N. bogr or M.Du. boech "bow of a ship," lit. "shoulder (of an animal)," the connecting notion being "the shoulders of the ship." See bough.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bow
Pronunciation: 'bO
Function: noun
: a frame for the lenses of eyeglasses; also : the curved sidepiece of the frame passingover the ear
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Bow

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.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

bow

In addition to the idioms beginning with bow, also see take a bow; two strings to one's bow.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
BOW
bag of waters (the amniotic sac in pregnancy)
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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