bowstring

[ boh-string ]

/ ˈboʊˌstrɪŋ /

noun

the string of an archer's bow.

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

(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.

to strangle with a bowstring or any string or band.

Nearby words

Origin of bowstring

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bowstring

It was as if the curve was a big bent bow, and the road, if continued straight, would be represented by the bowstring.
The White Crystals|Howard R. Garis
Each thread will stand a strain of six pounds; therefore, a bowstring of fifty strands will suspend a weight of 300 pounds.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
The first man that cometh a foot forward, or toucheth finger to bowstring, dieth!
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood|Howard Pyle
Tharn ruefully rubbed an angry welt on his left wrist where the bowstring had stung him.
Warrior of the Dawn|Howard Carleton Browne

This is the method of manufacturing a bowstring as devised by the late Mr. Maxson and described in American Archery.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope

British Dictionary definitions for bowstring

bowstring

/ (ˈbəʊˌstrɪŋ) /

noun

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