bow1

 
Pronunciation: /bəʊ/

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 joined at both ends by a taut string.
  • 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 an instrument.
  • 4a curved stroke forming part of a letter (e.g. b, p).
  • 5a 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

[with object]
  • play (a stringed instrument or music) using a bow: the techniques by which the pieces were bowed (as noun bowing) the mind can concentrate on finger action without worrying about bowing

Phrases

have (or add) another string to one's bow

British have a further resource that one can make use of: he decided to go for the degree so he would have another string to his bow

have many strings to one's bow

British have a wide range of resources that one can make use of.

Origin:

Old English boga 'bend, bow, arch', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch boog and German Bogen, also to bow2

Do not confuse bough with bow. Bough means 'a branch of a tree' ( boughs laden with blossom), whereas bow means 'bend the head' ( he bowed to his father) or 'the front of a ship'.