Definition of the word bow1

Pronunciation of vocabulary bow1

bow1noun

Bow1

/baʊ//baʊ/

Origin of the word bow1

Word OriginOld English būgan ‘bend, stoop’, of Germanic origin; related to German biegen, also to bow2. Bow of a boat/​ship is late Middle English: from Low German boog, Dutch boeg, ‘shoulder or ship's bow’; related to bough.

Example of vocabulary bow1namespace

meaning

the act of bending your head or the upper part of your body forward in order to say hello or goodbye to somebody or to show respect

  • She gave a slight bow of her head in greeting.
  • The messenger made a formal bow and left the room.
Extra examples:
  • He gave a small bow and left the room.
  • He made a deep bow to the king.
  • He gave her a deep bow.
meaning

the front part of a boat or ship

  • A huge whale crossed our bows.
  • We left two men in the bow to receive the cargo.
  • There's a small boat on the port bow.
Extra examples:
  • The ship's name was printed on her bow.
  • There were huge waves breaking over the bows.
  • They fired a shot across our bow/​bows.

Idioms of vocabulary bow1

a shot across the/somebody’s bows
something that you say or do as a warning to somebody about what might happen if they do not change, etc.
take a/your bow
(figurative)to bow to the audience as they are applauding you
  • She came back on stage to take another bow.
  • The song ended and Albert took a bow.
  • The boss takes his final bow today.
  • The team's chairman takes his final bow at this match.

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