prow1
[prou]
- the forepart of a ship or boat; bow.
- the front end of an airship.
- Literary. a ship.
Origin of prow1
1545–55; < Middle French proue < Upper Italian (Genoese) prua < Latin prōra < Greek prôira
prow2
[prou]
Origin of prow2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for prow
Contemporary Examples
"It's not heavy and resembles the prow of a ship," Zanotti told The Daily Beast in an email.
Historical Examples
Into the first of them she ran the boat until its prow touched the sandy bottom.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
She looked at him as he stood with his hand on the prow of the boat.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
As the prow drove forward down-stream, exultation entered into him.
Murder PointConingsby Dawson
But there were reserves in the prow, and these were drawn upon to fill the empty places.
The Sea-HawkRaphael Sabatini
It seemed as if something had gone awry with the prow of their ship.
Mixed FacesRoy Norton
prow
- the bow of a vessel
Word Origin
C16: from Old French proue, from Latin prora, from Greek prōra; related to Latin pro in front
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for prow
n.
"forepart of a ship," 1550s, from Middle French proue, from Italian (Genoese) prua, from Vulgar Latin *proda, by dissimilation from Latin prora "prow," from Greek proira, related to pro "before, forward," proi "early in the morning," from PIE *pre-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).
Middle English and early Modern English (and Scott) had prore in same sense, from Latin. Modern Italian has proda only in sense "shore, bank." Prow and poop meant "the whole ship," hence 16c.-17c. figurative use of the expression for "the whole" (of anything).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper