bow
I. bow1 (bou)n. Nautical 1. The front section of a ship or boat. 2. The oar or the person wielding the oar closest to the bow. [Middle English boue, probably of Low German origin. See bheug- in Indo-European Roots.] II. bow2 (bou)v. bowed, bow·ing, bowsv. intr. 1. To bend or curve downward; stoop. 2. To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration. 3. To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit. See Synonyms at yield.v. tr. 1. To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration. 2. To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body. 3. To escort deferentially: bowed us into the restaurant. 4. To cause to acquiesce; submit. 5. To overburden: Grief bowed them down.n. An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.Phrasal Verb:bow out To remove oneself; withdraw.Idiom:bow and scrape To behave obsequiously. [Middle English bowen, from Old English būgan. See bheug- in Indo-European Roots.] III. bow3 (bō)n. 1. A bent, curved, or arched object. 2. A weapon consisting of a curved, flexible strip of material, especially wood, strung taut from end to end and used to launch arrows. 3. a. An archer. b. Archers considered as a group. 4. a. Music. A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families. b. A stroke made by this rod. 5. A knot usually having two loops and two ends; a bowknot. 6. a. A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses. b. The part of such a frame passing over the ear. 7. A rainbow. 8. An oxbow.v. bowed, bow·ing, bowsv. tr. 1. To bend (something) into the shape of a bow. 2. Music. To play (a stringed instrument) with a bow.v. intr. 1. To bend into a curve or bow. 2. Music. To play a stringed instrument with a bow. [Middle English bowe, from Old English boga. See bheug- in Indo-European Roots.]
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