Bowhunters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who engage in hunting game using a bow and arrow
2. participants in a sport that emphasizes skill in archery for the purpose of harvesting wildlife
3. enthusiasts who practice a traditional method of hunting that often requires stealth and patience

Etymology: "Bowhunters" is simply the plural of "bowhunter," and the word is a plain compound: "bow" joined to "hunter." The first part is the weapon, the bow, which goes back to Old English "boga," and the second part is "hunter," from Old English "huntere," a person who pursues game. Put together, the compound names someone who hunts specifically with a bow rather than with a gun, spear, or trap. The pairing is transparent in a way many English compounds are not. Nothing in the word needed to be coined to describe a new idea; speakers simply joined two familiar words to narrow a general activity to one method. The same pattern appears in other hunting terms such as "gunhunter," though "bowhunter" is by far the more common of the two.

Synonyms: archers