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

bowser bag, bowser boat, bowshot, bowsie, bowsprit, bowstring, bowstring hemp, bowstring truss, bowtel, bowwood, bowwow

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