oxbow

American  

[oks-boh] / ˈɒksˌboʊ /

noun

1. a U -shaped piece of wood placed under and around the neck of an ox with its upper ends in the bar of the yoke.

2. Physical Geography, Geology.

   1. a bow-shaped bend in a river, or the land embraced by it.

   2. Also called oxbow lake.  a bow-shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.

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oxbow British  

/ ˈɒksˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a U-shaped piece of wood fitted under and around the neck of a harnessed ox and attached to the yoke

2. Also called: oxbow lake.   cutoff.  a small curved lake lying on the flood plain of a river and constituting the remnant of a former meander

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oxbow Scientific  

/ ŏks′bō′ /

1. A sharp, U-shaped bend in a river. The bend is so sharp that only a narrow neck of land is left between the two parts of the river.

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Etymology

Origin of oxbow

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at ox, bow ²

Example Sentences

This dissolved iron eventually reached a river system that included an oxbow lake, which is an abandoned river channel.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

The same was the case with the oxbow lakes, U-shaped pools created as river courses stabilized in the warmer conditions.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The 650-mile-long river originates in Russia and meanders southeast through the eastern Donbas region before re-entering Russian territory, forming oxbow lakes, floodplains and swamps.

From New York Times • May 13, 2022

The trail threads a narrow gap between the lake and the river, which makes sense, given that an oxbow lake is actually a remnant of a river bend.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2022

He could see forms and shapes that resembled rivers and streams and oxbow lakes, and he could see specks that might be towns, and he could see belts of forest.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston