Oxbow
Encyclopedia
An oxbow is a U
-shaped wooden or metal frame that fits under and around the neck of an ox
or bullock, with its upper ends passing through the bar of the yoke
and held in place with a metal key, called a bow pin. The wood most often used is hardwood steamed into shape, like elm or hickory and sometimes willow. A ring is attached by a plate to the centre underside of the yoke, to enable a pair of bullocks to be chained to other pairs in a team and thence hitched to the load.
When river
s meander
and are sometimes cut off from their course, they form an oxbow lake
which is so named because of the distinctive "U" shape.
U
U is the twenty-first letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter U ultimately comes from the Semitic letter Waw by way of the letter Y. See the letter Y for details....
-shaped wooden or metal frame that fits under and around the neck of an ox
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
or bullock, with its upper ends passing through the bar of the yoke
Yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam, normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen...
and held in place with a metal key, called a bow pin. The wood most often used is hardwood steamed into shape, like elm or hickory and sometimes willow. A ring is attached by a plate to the centre underside of the yoke, to enable a pair of bullocks to be chained to other pairs in a team and thence hitched to the load.
When river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
and are sometimes cut off from their course, they form an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
which is so named because of the distinctive "U" shape.