bower

¹ American  

[bou-er] / ˈbaʊ ər /

noun

1. a leafy shelter or recess; arbor.

2. a rustic dwelling; cottage.

3. a lady's boudoir in a medieval castle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to enclose in or as in a bower; embower.

bower ² American  

[bou-er] / ˈbaʊ ər /

noun

Nautical.

1. an anchor carried at a ship's bow.

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bower ³ American  

[bou-er] / ˈbaʊ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that bows or bends.

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bower ⁴ American  

[boh-er] / ˈboʊ ər /

noun

Music.

1. a musician, as a violinist, who performs with a bow on a stringed instrument.

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bower ¹ British  

/ ˈbaʊə /

noun

1. a shady leafy shelter or recess, as in a wood or garden; arbour

2. literary a lady's bedroom or apartments, esp in a medieval castle; boudoir

3. literary a country cottage, esp one regarded as charming or picturesque

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bower ² British  

/ ˈbaʊə /

noun

1. nautical a vessel's bow anchor

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bower ³ British  

/ ˈbaʊə /

noun

1. a jack in euchre and similar card games

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Other Word Forms

• bowerlike
  adjective
• bowery
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bower¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English bour, bur, bure “dwelling, shelter, bower,” Old English būr “dwelling, shelter, chamber”; cognate with Old Norse būr “pantry, storehouse,” German Bauer “cage, birdcage”; akin to neighbor

Origin of bower²

First recorded in 1645–55; bow ³ + -er ¹

Origin of bower³

First recorded in 1590–1600; bow ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of bower⁴

First recorded in 1650–70; see origin at bow ², -er ¹

Explanation

A natural or human-made arch that supports climbing plants is a bower. For next year's holiday card, you should use that photo of your dog sitting under the bower of flowering roses. Some bowers are deliberately constructed to give vines and other climbing greenery a place to grow, often framing a garden entryway. You can also use this word for a shady spot under a curve of trees: "We always stop for a picnic at the bower of dogwood trees beside the lake." The Old English source is bur, "room or dwelling." Bower is less commonly used as a verb: "I love the way those trellises bower your patio."

Example Sentences

“This is great news for all farmers in the country,” said Jed Bower, an Ohio farmer and president of the National Corn Growers Association.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

Steve Bower: Paz played a big part in Italian side Como's magnificent success story under Cesc Fabregas last season and he's also massive back home in Argentina.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Steve Bower: I saw Bouaddi play for France Under-21s but he was not called up for France's senior side and last month he said he was going to play for Morocco.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“I had to prop myself against this foam spike in front of my colleagues and friends, and then have Winona come up and chop my head off, which was incredible,” Bower says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

The one truly bad thing about being punished in the principal’s office was that whenever Mrs. Bower was upset, she would stop teaching and read to us.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers