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English Lexicon

Bow

/baʊ/
nounverbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A curved weapon used for shooting arrows.

    "He drew back the bow and aimed at the target."
As verb
  1. 1

    To bend the upper part of the body forward as a gesture of respect or greeting.

    "She bowed to the audience after her performance."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Old English 'boga', meaning 'bow, arch, or rainbow', stemming from Proto-Germanic *buganą (to bend). The historical evolution links the curved wooden weapon directly to the physical action of bending flexible material to store elastic potential energy.

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