bow 
3. To cause to bend in submission ; cause to 
submit; subdue. 
010 not mine honour. 
/'Mr/i. /-(".'I'/ Hix-tlirr), Tuo \nhle Kinsmen, 111. 8. 
Authority forgets a <lyin^ king, 
l.:il>l Uidow'd of till- pOWW ill I" 
Tlmt luiir'il tin- will. Tfiniii-'i'ii. MorM d' Arthur. 
4f. To bend: inlli'ct; <-;insi- tn di-viad- from a 
given condition. 
We /" HiiiiL's Mir eontnu> VKI\ to make them eome to 
their natural stralghtnaM. l:>i,;,,i. ulieism. 
5f. To incline; turn in :i particulnr dil-ectiou; 
influence. 
Not to '""' :md I'iiis their opinions. t'tttlri: 
Kor troubles mill udvcr.-itiiM do more lunr in. -us minds 
to religion. Baton. 
6. To bend or incline in worship or adoration, 
or in token of submission, homage, respect, 
civility, condescension, or attention. 
Ami they cried hcfore him, B<>- tin- knee ; and he made 
hint ruler over all tin- lan.l of Egypt. Uen. xli. 43. 
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the 
earth. Ex. xxxlv. 8. 
They eame to meet him, and knrt'tl themselves t<> the 
ground before him. 2 Ki. 11. l.'i. 
Botf down thine car, and hear the words of the wise. 
I'rov. xxll. 17. 
7. To express by a bow or by bowing: as, to 
bow one's thanks or assent. 8. To accompany 
or usher in, out, etc., with a bow or bows. 
I aaw the station-master bvn< them into the carriage. 
Dickens. 
Aiifient Hospitality, long since. 
With ceremonious thrift, bowed out of doom. 
Lowell, Under thu Willows. 
To bow down the back, .see &odfci. 
bow 1 (bou), n. [< ME. boice, a bend, < boieen, 
bend: see bowl, ,. cf. ooit' 2 .] An inclination 
of the head or a bending of the body in salu- 
tation, or in token of reverence, respect, civil- 
ity, submission, assent, or thanks. 
bow- (bo), H. [< ME. bowf, boghe, boge, etc., a 
bend, curve, bow for shooting, etc., < AS. boga, 
a bow for shooting, a rainbow (in general sense 
'bend' only in comp.) (= OS. bogo = OFries. 
boga = D. boog = MLG. boije = OHG. bogo, 
MHG. boge, Or. bogen = Icel. bogi = OSw. boyhi, 
Sw. b&ge = Dan. owe, a bow, etc.), < bOujan (pp. 
bogen), bow, bend: see bow 1 , c.] If. A bend; 
a curve. 
The bowe. of the ryver of Humber. 
Tremta, tr. of Hlgden (ed. 1865), II. 87. 
2. A weapon consisting of a strong strip of elas- 
tic wood or other elastic material, with a string 
stretched between its ends, used for shooting 
arrows. When the bow hus been bent to its full extent 
by pulling the string back from it, the recoil of the string 
(against the inner side of which the notch of the arrow 
is placed) when released impels the arrow. The bow 
and arrow have been used in all ages and by many peoples 
as a weapon, and, though superseded in the advance of 
civilization by firearms, are still in use among savage 
tribes, and are the officially recognized weapon of the 
Manchu garrisons of China, where archery is still one of 
the subjects of examination for officers in the regular army. 
Bows were at one time divided into longbows and cross- 
bows. During the middle ages the nations of Europe used 
longbows of 5 or B feet in length, the shorter ones being 
used by horsemen, and the longer by the foot-archers. The 
bows now commonly used in archery are of two kinds, the 
single-piece bow, or self-bow, and the back or union bow. 
The single-piece bow is made of one rod of hickory, lance- 
wood, or yew, the last, if perfectly free from knots, being 
considered the most suitable wood. The union bow is made 
of two or sometimes three pieces glued together. See cuts 
under arbaligter, bur/nan, and 
3. The name of several implements shaped like 
a bent bow. () In miV, an implement originally 
curved, but now almost straight, by means of which the 
tone is produced from instruments of the violin kind. It 
i- maileof a slender staff of elastic wood, to the two slightly 
projcctim; ends of which a quantity of horse-hairs (about 
H .1 100) are fastened. These, being rubbed with resin 
and drawn over the strings of the instrument, cause it to 
sound, (b) An implement consisting of a piece of wood 
curved, and having a string extended from one extremity 
to the other, used (1) by smiths In turning a drill, (2) by 
turners in turning wood, and (:>) by hatters in preparing 
fur and wool for their use. 
4. Any bent or curved thing, specie-ally (a) A 
rainbow. 
And it shall roine to pass, when I bring a cloud over the 
earth, that the /> shall he seen in the cloud. Gen. ix. 14. 
(&) The part of a yoke which embraces the animal's neck ; 
hence, the yoke it 
As the ox hath his fm-, sir, the horse his curb, and the 
falcon her bells, so man hath his desire-. 
Muk.. As you Like it. iii. ;i. 
(c) In auiLllf >//, one of two pieces tf wood, united so us to 
form an arch lit i inu the horse's hack, which serve to give 
the saddle its proper form. (<l) In firearm*, the guard of 
the trigger. (?) The bent guard of a sword-hilt. (.< ) on, 
of the bent slats which support the hood, canopy, or tilt 
of a covered wagon or carriage. (<j) The franiini; of the 
- of a pair of spcetarle>. (In in nn-li. : (It) An arch 
(of imi-oiin >. :i- in a gateway or l<rid'_'eor in a tlyini: hut 
tress. .V. K. l>. (!} \ part of a huildin- which projects 
from a straight wall, properly curved, but sometimes, 
645 
more loosely, polygonal In plan, (i) In drafting, m flexible 
trip which run be In-nt t..au> deilred curve; an arcograph. 
5. An instrument formerly used for taking the 
sun's altitude at sea, consisting of a large arch 
of 90 graduated, a shank or staff, a side vane, 
a sight-vane, and a horizou-vane. 6. A knot 
composed of one or two loops and two ends: a 
bow-knot; hence, a ("single bow" or "double 
bow ") looped ornamental knot of ribbon, etc. ; 
a ribbon, neck-tie, etc., tied in such a knot. 
7. A stroke of the bow of a violin : as, the up- 
botc or the down-owe. 8. A ring or loop of 
metal forming a handle, (a) The loop at the end of 
the handle of a key. (M One of the two hoops of a pair of 
scissors fitted for the thumb and the tinkers. See liaill and 
knil. Back of a bow. See backi. Bows and bills, the 
cry raised in old times by the English to give an alarm in 
their camp or to encourage the people to take to anna. 
Bow top, or top bow, In coach-builtliny, a piece of wood 
used to support the roof -boards or the leather of the top 
of a carriage. Compound bow, a bow made of t 
more pieces lashed or riveted together. Grafted bow, 
a compound bow formed of two pieces joined together at 
tin hiindle. Self-bow, in archery, * bow made of one 
entire piece of wood. Also called tingle-piece bow. 
Sinew-backed bow, a IMJW whose elasticity Is increased 
by the use of sinew along the back, either in a cable of 
twine, as among the Eskimos, or laid on solid by means of 
glue, as with many triln- in the western 1 lilted states. 
Single-piece bow. same as telf-imc.- To bend or draw 
a bow, to shoot with a bow. To draw the (or a) long- 
bow, to exaggerate; He. To have two strings (or 
more than one string) to one's bow, to have more 
than one means of accomplishing something. 
Miss Bertram . . . might be said to haae tiw tiring* to 
her bow. She had Rushworth-feellngs and Crawford-feel- 
ings, and In the vicinity of Sotherton the former had con- 
siderable effect. Jane Ataten, Mansfield Park, viii. 
bow 2 (bo), v. [< bow 2 , n. In some cases 6oM> 2 
(bo), r., can hardly be distinguished, as writ- 
ten, from ooirl (bou), r.] I. trans. 1. To bend 
into the form of a bow ; inflect ; curve : as, to 
I" 'ii- a ribbon ; bowed shutters. 
A three-pence bow'd would hire me. 
Skat., Hen. VIII., ii. 8. 
Insects in inserting and withdrawing their proboscides, 
bow them forwards or upwards. 
Darwin, Fertil. of Orchids by Insects, p. 113. 
2. In iniufie : (a) To perform by means of a bow 
upon a stringed instrument: as, to bow a pas- 
sage well. ('0 To mark (a passage) so as to in- 
dicate the proper method of bowing. 3. In 
hat-making, to separate and distribute in the 
basket (the filaments of felting-fur) by means 
of a bow. 
II. intrans. 1. To be curved or bent. 2. 
To perform or play by means of the bow : as, 
a violinist who bows with great taste. 
bow 3 (bou), n. [Same word as bough 1 , but in 
the naut. sense, first in the 17th century, and of 
LG. or Scand. origin : Icel. bogr = Norw. bog = 
Sw. bog =s Dan. bong, bor, bow of a ship, also 
shoulder of an animal, = D. boeg, bow of a ship, 
= MLG. boch, buck, bow of a ship, shoulder 
(> G. bug in this sense), = AS. bog, boh, arm, 
branch: see bough 1 .'] If. Same as bough 1 . 
Compare with bmrpot for bouglipot. 2. Naut., 
the forward part or head of a ship, beginning 
where the sides trend inward, and terminating 
where they close or unite in the stem or prow. 
A narrow bow is called a lean bow ; a broad one, 
a bold or bluff bow. 3. The foremost oar used 
in rowing a boat, or the person who pulls that 
oar: the bow-oar Doubling of the bow (naut.), 
thick planking at the bow of a vessel to protect it from 
injury by the anchor-bill. On th6 bow (naut.), on that 
part of the horizon which Is within 45 of the line ahead. 
bow 4 (bou), w. A Scotch form of bolt 2 . 
I trust you remember you are owing to the laird four 
atones of barley-meal, and a bow of oats. 
Scott, Abbot, II. si 
bow 5 (b), n. [Also written bu ; < Icel. bv, a 
farm, stock, cattle (= Dan. Sw. bo, dwelling, 
= AS. /)<( = OS. 66, dwelling, = D. bouic, tillage, 
building, = OHG. 6, dwelling, tillage, build- 
ing, MHG. bit, bou, G. batt, tillage, building), 
< frii = AS. Ilium, dwell: see 6y a , bowerl, boor, 
etc., from the same root.] A herd of cattle; 
the stock of cattle on a farm : as, a ftotc of kye 
(that is, cows). [Obsolete, except in Scotland 
and the north of England.] 
bow u t, bowet, [Prob. a reduced form of 
liii/l*.] The provisions of a benefice granted 
by the pope. A". E. D. [Scotch.] 
bowablet (bou'a-bl), a. [< ooici + -able.] Ca- 
pable of being Ibowed or bent ; flexible. 
bow-arm (bo'iinn), M. 1. The arm that moves 
the bow in playing an instrument of the violin 
family; a violinist's right arm. See bow-hand. 
2. In iirrhrry, the arm employed in holding 
the bow, ordinarily the left arm. 
bow-backed (bo'bukt), . Having a back bent 
like u bow. Tennyson. 
bowel 
bow-bearer (bo'bSr'er), . In i<i /.;/ Imr, 
an under-officer of a forest, whose duty was to 
give information of trespasses. 
bow-bellt (bo'ticli. a. One born within the 
sound of the bells of the church of Bow, which 
is near the center of the City of London; a 
cockney, ftr/tii. ami /'/. 
bow-bent (bo 'bent), a. Bent like a l>w; 
crooked. 
A sibyl old, >xiir-li. at with crooked age. 
Hilton, Vac. Ex., L (M. 
bow-billed (bo'bild), . Having the bill bowed 
or arcuate, as some birds. 
bow-boy (l)6'boi), H. A boy who uses a bow; 
>licciiic:ill\, Cupid. Xluilc. 
bow-brace (bo'bras), n. A covering of bone, 
metal, or leather for protecting the left arm of a 
bowman from the percussion of the bow-string. 
bow-case (bo'kas), n. A long bag of wood, 
leather, or cloth, in which a bow is kept when 
not in use. 
bow-chaser (bou'eha'ser), n. A gun pointed 
over the bow of a ship of war, for firing at a 
chased vessel. 
bow-clavier (bo'kla'vi-er), n. A musical in- 
strument having a keyboard and strings like 
a harpsichord or piano, in which the tones 
were produced by the friction of little bows or 
resined wheels pressed against the strings. 
Such an instrument is said to have been attempted about 
1000 at Nureml>erg, and many were constructed lu the 
eighteenth century. Also called bow-harpfichord. 
bow-compass, bow-compasses (bo'kum'pas, 
-ez), . See campus*. 
bowd, . Bee fcourf 1 . 
bowdark, w. See bodark. 
Bowdlerism (bod'ler-izm), H. [< Bawdier 
(Thomas Bowdler, who published in 1818 an ex- 
purgated edition of Shakspere) + -ism."] The 
practice of omitting from an author's edited 
writings words or passages considered offensive 
or indelicate. 
Bowdlerization (bod'ler-i-za'shon), . [< 
Bowdlerize + -ation."] Expurgation of offensive 
or indelicate passages or words from an edited 
book or writing. 
Bowdlerize (bod'ler-iz), r. t. ; pret. and pp. 
Bowdlerized, ppr. Bowdlerizing. [< Bowdler (see 
Bowdlerism) + -ize.~\ To expurgate in editing 
by expunging words or passages considered 
offensive or indelicate. 
Hence, when the incessant human sacrifices In Israel 
during the age of the kings are all put down to the in* 
fluence of foreign idolatries, we may fairly inquire whether 
editorial Bowdlrriting has not prevailed over historical 
truth. Huxley, hi Nineteenth Century, XIX. 489. 
bow-drill (bo'dril), n. A drill worked by means 
of a bow and string. The string is turned about the 
spindle of the drill, which 
is moved by a reciprocat- 
ing motion of the !M>W. 
Bow-dye (bo'di), n. 
A kind of scarlet 
color, superior to 
madder, but inferior 
to the true scarlet 
grain for fixedness 
and duration : first 
used in Bow, London. 
bowed (bod), i>. a. [< 
doir 2 + -fff 2 .] 1. Bent like a bow; emboweU. 
In heraldry also termed fleeted or reflected. 2. 
Having a convex or bulging form : as, a bowed 
shield. 
bowed-embowed (bod'em-bod'), . See em- 
bowed. 
bowel (bou'el), . [< ME. bmeel, bowele, bouel, 
buel, boel, < OF. boel, buel, m., also boele, buele, 
t., F. IIIIIHIH (whence prob. E. bayou, q. v. ) = Pr. 
budel = It. budello, < ML. botellus, an intestine, 
< L. botellus, a sausage, dim. of botulus, a sau- 
sage, en-it:, an intestine.] 1. One of the intes- 
tines of an animal; a division of the alimen- 
tary canal l>elow the stomach ; a gut, especially 
of man : chiefly used in the plural to denote the 
intestines collectivelv. 2t. One of the viscera ; 
any internal organ of the body, as the stomach, 
liver, brain, etc. 3. pi. The interior part of 
anything. 
Kush'd Into the botetlt of the battle. 
Sltak., 1 Heu. VL, L 1. 
It was great pity, so it was, 
That villainous saltpetre should be dlgg'd 
Out of the boircU of the harmless earth. 
SAo*-., 1 Hen. IV., L 3. 
4. ;>/. The inner parts as the seat of pity or 
kindness; hence, tenderness ; compassion. 
He that relieves another upon the bare suggestion and 
tomb of pity, doth not this so much for his sake as for hU 
a Sir T. Brmtnt, ReUgio Medici, it 4. 
