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Glite Dictionary
bow wood

bow wood

9.9
A small tree with hard orange wood used to make bows
  • noun
  • /baʊ wʊd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : madera de espino
  • Native Americans traditionally crafted bows from the tough, flexible bow wood.

Examples

  • Early settlers prized bow wood for its strength and durability in tool making.

  • A hedge of bow wood trees lines the southern edge of the property.

  • The craftsman prefers using bow wood for his archery equipment.

  • Can you identify the bow wood tree in this park?

  • Early settlers prized bow wood for its strength and durability in making tools.

  • Native Americans traditionally crafted bows from the tough, flexible bow wood.

  • The craftsman prefers using bow wood for his archery equipment.

Synonyms

osage orange
vsbow wood
  • US
9.9

A small tree with thorny branches and large inedible greenish-yellow fruit

is the name that highlights the material prized for making archery items
Maclura pomifera
vsbow wood
  • Specialized
9.9

A small thorny tree with glossy leaves, inedible fruit like an orange and hard wood used for bows

is the everyday label focusing on the material prized for archery use

Surface Forms

bow wood singular
bow woods plural

Morphology

bow + wood

The meaning 'wood used for making bows' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'bow' (a curved implement for propelling arrows) with 'wood' (timber). This noun-noun compound follows a common and predictable English pattern (X + wood = wood of/for X), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Bow wood is named because its hard, flexible wood was used long ago to make strong bows by native people and early settlers. So, the name points to the tree's use for making 'bows' and explains why the wood was so valued.