bowstring

noun, verb — 3 senses

bowstring

noun

US /ˈboʊ.stɹɪŋ/ · UK /ˈbəʊ.stɹɪŋ/

Etymology From bow + string.

1

The string of an archer's bow.

For an instant he glanced along the polished shaft, drawing the bowstring far back, that the arrow might pierce through the heart for which it was aimed.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 191:

2

Historical The string of an archer's bow, as used by the Turks for strangling offenders.

Derived terms: bowstring bridge, bowstring girder, bowstring hemp, bowstring knot, viper's bowstring hemp

bowstring

verb

Etymology From bow + string.

1

To strangle with a bowstring.

When the day broke […] it was high time for her to get up and be bowstrung—a thing very little more pleasant than hanging, only a trifle more genteel.1850, Edgar Allan Poe, The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade:
1909, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), A Municipal Report I have seen (on one of my imaginary tours) the Sultan of Turkey bowstring with his own hands one of his wives who had uncovered her face in public.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.