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bow

/bəʊ/
Dictionary

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 (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.
  • 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.
  • Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
  • The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
  • Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear.
  • 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 hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
  • A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
  • (saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
  • The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.

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.
  • To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
  • To premiere.

    "Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" bows in Cannes this week."

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