Bow

10 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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}.]


     [1913 Webster]
     1. To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to
        inflect; to make crooked or curved.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to
              their natural straightness.           --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind
              of tyranny.                           --Prescott.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to
        bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
                                                    --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Not to bow and bias their opinions.   --Fuller.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of
        respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the
              ground before him.                    --2 Kings ii.
                                                    15.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,;? to
        crush; to subdue.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bow \Bow\ (bou), v. i.
     1. To bend; to curve. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To stop. [Archaic]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They stoop, they bow down together.   --Is. xlvi. 2?
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or
        submission; -- often with down.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel
              before the Lord our maker.            --Ps. xcv. 6.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or
        assent; to make bow.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Admired, adored by all circling crowd,
              For wheresoe'er she turned her face, they bowed.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I do set my bow in the cloud.         --Gen. ix. 13.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. An ornamental knot, with projecting loops, formed by
        doubling a ribbon or string.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and
        fastens it to the yoke.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. An arcograph.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. (Naut.) A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking
        the sun's altitude at sea.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     9. (Saddlery) sing. or pl. Two pieces of wood which form the
        arched forward part of a saddletree.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {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.]
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bow \Bow\ (b[=o]), n. [Icel. b[=o]gr shoulder, bow of a ship.
     See {Bough}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. (Naut.) The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the
        stream or prow.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Naut.) One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the
        bow oar.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Bow chaser} (Naut.), a gun in the bow for firing while
        chasing another vessel. --Totten.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {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.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bow
       n 1: a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
            [syn: {bowknot}]
       2: a slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut
          horsehair strands, used in playing certain stringed
          instrument
       3: front part of a vessel or aircraft; "he pointed the bow of
          the boat toward the finish line" [syn: {fore}, {prow}, {stem}]
       4: curved piece of resilient wood with taut cord to propel
          arrows
       5: something curved in shape [syn: {arc}]
       6: bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or
          submission or shame [syn: {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: {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
            down}]
       2: submit or yield to another's wish or opinion; "The
          government bowed to the military pressure" [syn: {submit},
           {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}]
       5: play on a string instrument

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  270 Moby Thesaurus words for "bow":
     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
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  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.
     

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Bow, KY
    Zip code(s): 42714
  Bow, NH
    Zip code(s): 03304
  Bow, WA
    Zip code(s): 98232