Word of the Day: Bow, Beau and Bough
Bow
bow / ˈbau̇
verb (1)
1. to bend at the waist or head as a sign of respect
They bow to you when borrowing, you bow to them when collecting.
Russian Proverb
2. to bend at the waist in acknowledgment of applause
Every now and then one stands up and orates at length to the unfortunate crowd, after which he bows to their scattered applause.
from ‘When the Sea is Rising Red’ by Cat Hellisen, 1977-
3. to acknowledge or suffer defeat
The more the panic grows, the more uplifting the image of a man who refuses tobow to the terror.
Ernst Junger, 1895-1998
4. to exert force on something so as to cause to bend
The thunder burst in loud claps; the wind bowed the trees far down toward the earth, already wet with the rain.
from ‘Dallas-A Sketch’ by Olive McHenry, ?-
5. to usher in or out through a tilt of the head or waist
You always have to know when to bow out. You bow out while you are on top.
L.A. Reid, 1956-
6. to curve due to external pressure
[…] when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.
from ‘Who Has Seen the Wind?’ by Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894
noun (1)
1. a bending of the body to show respect or acknowledgment
In a stage play, you kill the leads and they come out for a bow – in a movie, they don’t come out for a bow, they’re dead.
Frank Oz, 1944-
noun (2)
1. the frontmost part of a ship
If the bow is sinking, the stern follows.
Filipino Proverb
bow/ˈbō
noun (3)
1. a weapon which has a curved springy part with a cord which propels an arrow
You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched.
Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993
2. a knot made by doubling string into multiple loops
Nobody’s life is wrapped up neatly in a bow.
Zoe Lister-Jones, 1982-
3. in music, a wooden or fiberglass rod strung with horsehair or some other stringy material, used to play a violin or other string instrument
Remember always that the composer’s pen is still mightier than the bow of the violinist; in you lie all the possibilities of the creation of beauty.
John Philip Sousa, 1854-1932
verb (2)
1. to curve
Foundation walls bow for a variety of reasons, including water pressure, root penetration and poor construction.
2. to play a string instrument with the tool designed for such use
If a feller can’t bow, he’ll never make a fiddler.
Tommy Jarrell, 1901-1985
Beau
beau / bō
noun
1. a male admirer; boyfriend
Some women feel the best cure for a broken heart is a new beau.
Gene Tierney, 1920-1991
Bough
bough / bau̇
noun
1. the limb of a tree; branch
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough[…]
A.E. Housman, 1859-1936
Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club. In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year. They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students. Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project. They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study. Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.
