Bowe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic form meaning to bend the head or body forward in respect ; an old spelling for the curved wooden weapon that shoots arrows
2. An older variant for lowering the body in greeting or submission ; a dated spelling of the arched weapon used to fire arrows
3. Used in older English to mean inclining the head or torso downward ; also an earlier form of the flexible launcher for arrows

Etymology: "Bowe" is an obsolete spelling of "bow," the word for the curved wooden weapon that fires arrows, and also for the bending motion of the body and the knot of ribbon. The spelling "bowe" with a final e reflects the older English habit of marking long vowels that way, so it is the same word written in an earlier style. The word belongs to a family of Germanic terms for a curve or arc. Its close relatives include Dutch "boog," German "Bogen," and Swedish "båge," all meaning arc, arch, or bow. These words share a root that describes something bent, and the English noun carries that same sense of curvature into the weapon, the bent shape of a bow, and the act of bending forward. A separate verb, "to bow," meaning to bend the body or head, is linked to Scots "boo" and German "biegen," both meaning to bend. The two English senses have converged over time, so the weapon and the gesture of bending now share one spelling.