longbow

American  

[lawng-boh, long-] / ˈlɔŋˌboʊ, ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

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

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idioms

1. 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.

longbow British  

/ ˈlɒŋˌbəʊ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of longbow

First recorded in 1490–1500; long ¹ + bow ²

Example Sentences

Perhaps he sees Twitter and TikTok as a modern version of the longbow.

From The Wall Street Journal

Elsewhere in the suburbs at the Akrams’ family home, police would find a homemade wooden firearm, a longbow with 12 arrows, and a copy of the Quran with passages highlighted, again unspecified.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a time in England when longbow archery was mandatory for all adult men, longbows, various forms of shorter bows, arrows, and other archery-related equipment were the most common weapons aboard the Mary Rose.

From Literature

His corpse was preserved as a “natural mummy” until 1991, when hikers found him along with some of his clothing and gear — including a copper ax, a longbow and a bearskin hat.

From Seattle Times

They each have a longbow slung over one shoulder.

From Literature