Definitions
1.nounA weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
2.nounA curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).
3.nounA rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
4.nounA stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.
5.nounA type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.
6.nounAnything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
7.nounThe U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
8.nounEither of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear.
9.nounAny instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
10.nounA crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
11.noun(saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
12.nounThe part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.
13.verbTo play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow."The musician bowed his violin expertly."
14.verbTo become bent or curved."The shelf bowed under the weight of the books."
15.verbTo make something bend or curve.
16.verbTo exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
17.verbTo premiere."Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" bows in Cannes this week."