bowed

The adjective 'bowed' is formed from the verb 'bow', meaning to bend, which originates from the Proto-Germanic 'beuganą', itself from the Proto-Indo-European root 'bʰewgʰ-', meaning 'to bend' or 'to flee'. The suffix '-ed' is the common Germanic participial ending, used to create adjectives describing a state resulting from an action. Thus, 'bowed' literally describes something that is in a bent or curved state, a meaning directly inherited from its ancient root. The secondary meaning, 'having a bow', applies the same suffix to the noun 'bow', demonstrating the versatility of this formative process in English.

Structure: bow (to bend, a curved weapon) + ed (adjective suffix) 'bow' is from Old English 'būgan' (to bend) and also related to the weapon from Old English 'boga' (arch, bow). '-ed' is an Old English adjectival suffix used to form participial adjectives.