longbow

[ lawng-boh, long- ]

/ ˈlɔŋˌboʊ, ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

a large bow drawn by hand, as that used by English archers from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

Nearby words

longbeard, longbenton, longboard, longboat, longboat key, longbow, longbowman, longcase clock, longcloth, longden, longe

Idioms

draw the longbow, to exaggerate in telling stories; overstate something: He's sure to draw the longbow on the size of his catch of fish.

Origin of longbow

First recorded in 1490–1500; long¹ + bow²

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

Examples from the Web for longbow

The "Colonel," Longbow, and the other Puddlefordians were ranged round the fire.
The Puddleford Papers,|H. H. Riley
The husbands of these ladies thought just about as much of Longbow & Co. as their wives did.
The Puddleford Papers,|H. H. Riley
Swipes said he know'd you must be sick, but I told Swipes you had so many cares—we women folks have so many cares, Mrs. Longbow.
The Puddleford Papers,|H. H. Riley
Flights of arrows from the dreaded English longbow added immeasurably to their distress and bewilderment.
In the Days of Chivalry|Evelyn Everett-Green

The crossbow and the matchlock had supplanted the longbow when Columbus sailed for the New World.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope

British Dictionary definitions for longbow

longbow

/ (ˈlɒŋˌbəʊ) /

noun

a large powerful hand-drawn bow, esp as used in medieval England

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

Word Origin and History for longbow

longbow

also long-bow, the characteristic medieval English weapon, c.1500, from long (adj.) + bow (n.1).