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Glite Dictionary
bow and arrow

bow and arrow

22 3.3
A weapon using a curved bow to shoot arrows for hunting or fighting
  • noun
translation icon : arco y flecha
  • During the archery contest, she demonstrated her ability to hit the target with a bow and arrow.

Armies would fight on horseback with swords and and and bows and arrows and things like that.

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Examples

  • He wanted me to go bear-hunting with him in Canada with a bow and arrow.

    The Dogs of War (1980)

  • To bring down one of those majestic beasts with only a bow and arrow.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Why do you have a bow and arrow in there?

    The Weather Man (2005)

  • The hunter will stand in the blind for hours at night, bow and arrow ready, to wait for a pig.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Most Americans think of the bow and arrow as a tool for hunting or sports.

    Blog text (8)

  • Eddie kept the bow and arrows in a box in the storage closet.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Give me a bow and arrow, I'm basically Hawkeye.

    Deadpool 2 (2018)

  • At sixteen, for example, he had hunted buffalo with a bow and arrow.

    Academic text (1992)

  • In ancient times, warriors relied on their bow and arrow for hunting and combat.

  • Mongol soldiers were known for their skill in using a bow and arrow during battles.

Synonyms

bow
vsbow and arrow
95 5.2

A curved piece of wood with a string used to shoot arrows

refers to the complete weapon plus its projectiles used in hunting or war
longbow
vsbow and arrow
7 8.1

A tall strong wooden bow used in medieval battles to shoot arrows

refers to the general weapon used for hunting or war, not the specific medieval type
handbow
vsbow and arrow
  • Archaic
9.9

A bow that you pull and release by hand

refers to the full weapon system including its projectiles, not just the manual method

Surface Forms

bow and arrow singular
bows and arrows plural

Morphology

bow + and + arrow

The meaning is directly and literally composed from the parts: 'bow' (curved implement) + 'and' (joining) + 'arrow' (feathered shaft), describing a weapon consisting of those two items. This part–whole, compositional noun phrase is cross-linguistically common and follows basic English composition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Bow and arrow comes from the two parts of the weapon: the curved wooden bow you pull back and the straight, pointed arrow you shoot. Pulling the bow stores energy so the arrow flies, so the phrase means 'a weapon made up of a bow and arrows used for hunting or war'.