bow
UK[baʊ]US[boʊ]
v
to bend the head or upper part of the body as a sign of respect, greeting, or shame
n
a knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, used for decoration or tying shoelaces
n
a weapon for shooting arrows, made of a curved piece of wood with a taut string joining its ends
n
a long, thin piece of wood with horsehair stretched along it, used for playing some stringed instruments
Etymology
The modern English word 'bow' is a fascinating case of homographic convergence from two distinct Old English roots. The verb meaning 'to bend' and the noun for a weapon both descend from the Old English 'būgan' (to bend) and 'boga' (a bent piece of wood, an arch), respectively, which are themselves derived from the Proto-Germanic bugōn and bugô. These trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root bheug-, meaning 'to bend'. Conversely, the 'bow' referring to a decorative knot or a ship's front originates from a different Old English word, 'bōg' or 'bōh', meaning 'shoulder' or 'bough', from Proto-Germanic bōguz, related to the PIE root bhāghús ('arm'). The identical spelling emerged from centuries of phonetic and orthographic evolution, merging two ancient concepts of bending and limb-like projection into a single, context-dependent modern form.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. It represents two distinct words of different origins that have converged in spelling.
Examples
The actors took a bow as the audience applauded.
She tied the ribbon into a perfect bow.
The archer drew the bow and aimed at the target.