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Glite Dictionary
bowstring

bowstring

2 4.9
A strong cord on a bow that you pull back to shoot an arrow
  • noun
  • /ˈboʊˌstrɪŋ/
: stringa
  • I locked an unblinking stare onto the target, drew back the bowstring, and let the arrow fly.

Instead, the bowstring would have been secured by way of tied leather bindings.

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Examples

  • Don't get your bowstring wet.

    Prey (2022)

  • Pull back on a bowstring.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Each had an arrow nocked to his bowstring.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I sighted and pulled, but lacked the strength to draw the bowstring back more than a few inches.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • She carefully drew back the bowstring, aiming at the target in the distance.

  • The bowstring snapped under the pressure of his strong pull, sending the arrow off course.

  • Before the competition, he made sure to wax the bowstring for better performance.

Synonyms

string
vsbowstring
222 1.0

A thin cord used to tie or fasten things

is a stronger cord made to attach to a bow and launch arrows

Compounds

bowstring hemp
9.1

A tropical African houseplant with long, pointed leaves

bowstring hemp
8.7

A strong fiber from a plant with long thick leaves used to make ropes and cords

Ceylon bowstring hemp
9.3

A tropical plant with thick striped green leaves grown for strong fibers and decoration

African bowstring hemp
  • South African
7.4

A South African plant whose long, strong leaves people use to make rope

Surface Forms

bowstring singular
bowstrings plural

Morphology

bowstring = bow + string (transparent) = bow + string

The meaning is the literal combination 'bow' + 'string' (the string that belongs to a bow), which B1 learners can derive directly.

Etymology

Bowstring comes from two simple parts: bow (an old word for a 'bend' or the curved stick used to shoot arrows) and string ('a cord'). So a bowstring is the cord on the bent stick that you pull back to make the arrow fly.