Bow

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /bəʊ/

Definitions

1. The act of inclining the upper body signifies respect, while a weapon designed for arrow projection has a flexible form, and a tied piece of material creates a looped ornament
2. A gesture of bending forward expresses deference, while a curved weapon is used for shooting arrows, and a knotted fabric adornment enhances appearance
3. Bending at the waist demonstrates honor, while a projectile weapon shaped for launching arrows exists, along with a decorative loop formed from tied material

Etymology: The word "bow" for bending the body and the word for a curved weapon or ribbon knot are two separate English words that happen to look identical. The bending sense descends from an Old English verb, "būgan," meaning to bend, and it is a cousin of the German "biegen" and the Gothic "biugan," which both mean to bend or bow. The weapon and the arch share a different ancestry, tracing back to a noun meaning a bend or curve that is related to Dutch "boog" and German "Bogen." The two forms are often treated as unrelated in dictionaries, so the common spelling is largely a coincidence of how their separate lineages developed. The bending verb has a traceable history in its own right. Its Middle English form, "buwen" or "buȝen," kept the same basic sense of bending or inclining, and the same root shows up in Scots "boo" and Swedish "buga." Across these languages the idea stays steady: a body or object turning from its straight line into a curve, whether in greeting, submission, or simple bending.

Synonyms: bend, curtsy, salute, knot, arch

Antonyms: straighten, rise