Recurve
/ˌriːˈkɜːrv/noun
To curve or bend back; especially of a bow whose limbs curve away from the archer when unstrung.
Did you know?Recurve is built from Latin roots meaning “to bend” and the prefix re-, so the word itself carries the idea of bending back again rather than any mystical or hidden sense.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
re- + curvare
“to bend back; to make curved again”
Late Latin
Latin
recurvare
“to bend back, bend in the opposite direction”
Middle English
English
recurven
“to curve back or bend backward”
16th–17th Century
English
recurve
“to bend back; to form a backward curve”
Modern English
English
recurve
“to bend backward or inward; especially of a bow with tips that curve away from the archer when unstrung”