bow1

noun

• 1a knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, used especially for tying shoelaces and decorative ribbons:a girl with long hair tied back in a bow
• a decorative ribbon tied in a bow.

• 2a weapon for shooting arrows, typically made of a curved piece of wood whose ends are joined by a taut string.
• a bowman.

• 3a long, partially curved rod with horsehair stretched along its length, used for playing the violin and other stringed instruments.
• a single passage of a bow over the strings of a violin or other stringed instrument.

• 4a thing that is bent or curved in shape, in particular.
• a curved stroke forming part of a letter (e.g., b, p).
• a metal ring forming the handle of a key or pair of scissors.
• North American a side piece or lens frame of a pair of glasses.

verb

• 1play (a stringed instrument or music) using a bow:the techniques by which the pieces were bowed

• 2bend into the shape of a bow:the sides of the image are squeezed in or bowed out