bow

bow, implement used in playing stringed instruments. Its name originated from the fact that in its early form it resembled an archer's bow, but by the 17th cent. the European bow had gradually become flat. The violin bow received its definitive form during the period from 1775 to 1781 at the hands of François Tourte (1747-1835). He made the bow of brazilwood (Pernambuco wood), gave it a slightly concave curvature, and invented the device by which the horsehairs are held in place and tightened. The cello and the double bass are played with a bow that is shorter, broader, and heavier than the violin bow.

Weapon consisting of a strip of wood or other flexible material, bent and held in tension by a string. The arrow, a long wooden shaft with a pointed tip, is stabilized in flight by a feathered tail. The arrow is fitted to the string by a notch in the end of the shaft and is drawn back to produce tension in the bow, which propels the arrow when the string is released. Bow construction ranges from wood, bone, and metal to plastic and fiberglass; arrowheads have been made from stone, bone, and metal. The origins of the bow and arrow are prehistoric. The bow was a primary military weapon from Egyptian times through the Middle Ages in the Mediterranean world and Europe and even longer in China and Japan. The Huns, Turks, Mongols, and other peoples of the Eurasian steppes excelled in warfare as mounted archers; horse archers were the most deadly weapon system of pre-gunpowder warfare. The crossbow, the compound bow, and the English longbow made the arrow a formidable battlefield missile. The powerful Turkish bow had a great impact on warfare in the late Middle Ages. In many cultures, the bow's importance in warfare has been secondary to its value as a hunting weapon. It is still sometimes used for recreational hunting. Seealso archery.

Learn more about bow and arrow with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Northwest section of the Front Range, in the central Rocky Mountains, U.S. Averaging a height of 10,000 ft (3,050 m), the mountains run southeast for about 100 mi (160 km) from Medicine Bow, Wyo., to Cameron Pass, Colo., just northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. The highest summit, Medicine Bow Peak, reaches 12,014 ft (3,662 m). The name refers to the practices of local Indians, who collected wood for bows in the area and held ceremonial medicine dances.

Learn more about Medicine Bow Mountains with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Bow may refer to:

• Bow (weapon) (pronounced boʊ), an archery weapon that uses elasticity to propel arrows
• Bowing (social) (pronounced baʊ), to lower the head or the upper body
• Bow (ship) (pronounced baʊ), the foremost point of the hull of a ship or boat
• Bow (knot), a type of knot
• Bow (music), a device used to play a stringed instrument

It may also refer to:

• Musical bow, a musical instrument resembling an archer's bow
• E-bow, a hand-held electronic device for playing the electric guitar

Placenames

• Bow, Devon, England
• Bow, London, England (historically called Stratford atte Bowe)
• Bow, New Hampshire, United States
• Bow, Washington, United States
• The Bow (Calgary), a building in Calgary, Alberta
• Bow River, a river in the Canadian province of Alberta

Other uses

• Bow (She-Ra), a character from She-Ra: Princess of Power
• Bows (band), a band from the UK

See also

• Beau
• Gungdo