Bow
WordNet
noun
(1) A stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments
(2) A slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands, used in playing certain stringed instrument
(3) Curved piece of resilient wood with taut cord to propel arrows
(4) Front part of a vessel or aircraft
"He pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line"
(5) A knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
(6) A decorative interlacing of ribbons
(7) An appearance by actors or performers at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience
(8) Bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame
(9) Something curved in shape
verb
(10) Submit or yield to another's wish or opinion
"The government bowed to the military pressure"
(11) Bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head
"He bowed before the King"
"She bowed her head in shame"
(12) Play on a string instrument
(13) Bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting
"He bowed before the King"
(14) 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"
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
From , from . Cognate with Dutch , German , Swedish
, Danish .
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.
- 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, similar to the item described above.
- 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.
Verb
- To play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow.
- The musician bowed his violin expertly.
- To become bent or curved.
- The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.
- To make something bend or curve.
Etymology 2
From , from . Cognate with Dutch , German .
Noun
- A gesture, usually showing respect, made by bending forward at the waist.
- He bowed politely as he entered the room.
- A debut
- The new product will make its bow on the world market this summer.
-
Verb
- To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
- To debut.
Noun
See also
- coll'arco
- curtsy
- kowtow
- Wikipedia article on bows (weapons)
- Wikipedia article on bows used to play string instruments
- Wikipedia article on bows (the knots)
- Wikipedia article on musical bows
- Wikipedia article on bows, the gestures of respect
- Wikipedia article on the bows of ships