bowstring

[ boh-string ]

noun
  1. the string of an archer's bow.

  2. a string, typically of horsehair, for the bow of an instrument of the violin and viol families.

  1. (especially in the Ottoman Empire) a similar string for killing people by strangulation.

verb (used with object),bow·stringed or bow·strung, bow·string·ing.
  1. to strangle with a bowstring or any string or band.

Origin of bowstring

1
First recorded in 1350–1400, bowstring is from Middle English bowe streng. See bow2, string

Words Nearby bowstring

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bowstring in a sentence

  • Those who assisted him in his reforms, he rewarded with the bowstring.

  • "You used to draw that bowstring to your ear," said Daly, sternly, as he pointed to a Swiss bow of portentous size.

  • All night long he pursued his way, his muscles playing tirelessly to the demands of a mind as taut as bowstring.

    The Way of an Indian | Frederic Remington
  • They would have served his purpose, and might be cast aside like a frayed bowstring or the shaft of a broken spear.

    Sarchedon | G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
  • A suitable piece of wood was procured, and one of the bears sacrificed himself to provide gut for a bowstring.

British Dictionary definitions for bowstring

bowstring

/ (ˈbəʊˌstrɪŋ) /


noun
  1. the string of an archer's bow, usually consisting of three strands of hemp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012