👄 Upper lip curve 🏹 Curved bow

Cupid's bow

8.1

A double curve of the upper lip that looks like a small bow

noun
/ˈkjuːpɪdz boʊ/

: arco de Cupido

She has a perfect Cupid's bow that enhances her smile.
mouth with a Cupid's bow

Examples

Look at her Cupid's bow! It's stunning!
The makeup artist highlighted her Cupid's bow to accentuate her lips.
He traced the delicate shape of her Cupid's bow with his fingertip.
Her upper lip had a perfect Cupid's bow that made her smile look especially charming.
She has a beautiful smile with a defined Cupid's bow that enhances her features.
Many people consider a Cupid's bow lip shape to be particularly attractive in portraits.
The actress is known for her striking Cupid's bow that adds character to her face.

Surface Forms

Cupid's bow singular

Cupid's bows plural

Morphology

Cupid's + bow

The phrase literally denotes the bow belonging to Cupid, so a learner who knows 'Cupid' (the mythical figure associated with love and arrows) and 'bow' (a curved implement for shooting arrows) can derive the meaning directly. Even the common metaphorical transfer to describe a curved upper lip remains transparently linked to the original image, so no prior idiomatic knowledge is required.

Etymology

Cupid's bow is named after Cupid, the little god of 'love' who is often shown holding a small curved bow. The double curve of the upper lip looks like that bow, so people call that lip shape 'Cupid's bow'.