Bow
/boʊ/noun
A weapon for propelling arrows, consisting of a curved strip held taut by a stretched string.
Did you know?The Old English verb 'bugan' for 'bow' also meant 'to turn aside and flee,' transforming the symbol of precision warfare into one of evasion and reluctant surrender.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeugʰ-
“to bend”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bugô
“bent thing, bow”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*beuganą
“to bend, turn aside”
Old English
OE
boga
“archer's bow”
Old English
OE
bugan
“to bend, bow, flee”
Middle English
ME
bowe
“bow (weapon)”
Modern English
Eng
bow
“curved arrow weapon; to bend the body”