Bend vs Bower - What's the difference?

bend | bower |


In context|nautical|lang=en terms the difference between bend and bower

is that bend is (nautical) any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines while bower is to embower; to enclose.

As nouns the difference between bend and bower

is that bend is a curve while bower is a bedroom or private apartments, especially for a woman in a medieval castle or bower can be a peasant; a farmer or bower can be either of the two highest trumps in euchre or bower can be (nautical) a type of ship's anchor, carried at the bow or bower can be (obsolete|falconry) a young hawk, when it begins to leave the nest.

bend

English

Verb

  • To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.
    • If you bend the pipe too far, it will break.
    Don’t bend your knees.
  • To become curved.
    • Look at the trees bending in the wind.
  • To cause to change direction.
  • * Milton
    • Bend thine ear to supplication.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Towards Coventry bend we our course.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • bending her eyes upon her parent
  • To change direction.
    • The road bends to the right
  • To be inclined; to direct itself.
  • * Milton
    • to whom our vows and wishes bend
  • To stoop.
    • He bent down to pick up the pieces.
  • To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.
  • * Coleridge
    • Each to his great Father bends .
  • To force to submit.
    • They bent me to their will.
  • * Shakespeare
    • except she bend her humour
  • To submit.
    • I am bending to my desire to eat junk food.
  • To apply to a task or purpose.
    • He bent the company's resources to gaining market share.
  • * Temple
    • to bend his mind to any public business
  • * Alexander Pope
    • when to mischief mortals bend their will
  • To apply oneself to a task or purpose.
    • He bent to the goal of gaining market share.
  • To adapt or interpret to for a purpose or beneficiary.
  • (nautical) To tie, as in securing a line to a cleat; to shackle a chain to an anchor; make fast.
    • Bend the sail to the yard.
  • (music) To smoothly change the pitch of a note.
    • You should bend the G slightly sharp in the next measure.
  • (nautical) To swing the body when rowing.

    • Derived terms

    * bend down * bend over * bend over backwards * bend somebody's ear * on bended knee * bend one's elbow * bend out of shape * bend the truth

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A curve.
  • * 1968 , (Johnny Cash),
    • I hear the train a comin'/It's rolling round the bend
  • * , chapter=1
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.}}
  • (nautical) Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.
    • (Totten)
  • A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression, causing bubbles of nitrogen to form in the blood; decompression sickness.
  • (heraldiccharge) One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base; it generally occupies a fifth part of the shield if uncharged, but if charged one third.
  • (obsolete) Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.
  • * Fletcher
    • Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend .
  • In the leather trade, the best quality of sole leather; a butt.
  • (mining) Hard, indurated clay; bind.
  • (nautical, in the plural) The thickest and strongest planks in a ship's sides, more generally called wales, which have the beams, knees, and futtocks bolted to them.
  • (nautical, in the plural) The frames or ribs that form the ship's body from the keel to the top of the sides.
    • the midship bends

    Derived terms

    * around the bend * bend sinister * bendlet * bendsome * bendy * drive somebody round the bend * in bend * sheet bend * string bend

    Related terms

    * bent

    References

    *

    Anagrams

    * English ergative verbs English irregular verbs ----

    bower

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) ).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A bedroom or private apartments, especially for a woman in a medieval castle.
  • * Gascoigne
    • Give me my lute in bed now as I lie, / And lock the doors of mine unlucky bower .
  • (literary) A dwelling; a picturesque country cottage, especially one that is used as a retreat.
    • (Shenstone)
  • A shady, leafy shelter or recess in a garden or woods.
  • * 1599 ,
    • say that thou overheard'st us,
    And bid her steal into the pleached bower ,
    Where honey-suckles, ripen'd by the sun,
    Forbid the sun to enter;
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
    • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=1 citation , passage=
  • (ornithology) A large structure made of grass and bright objects, used by the bower bird during courtship displays.
    • Synonyms
    *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To embower; to enclose.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) To lodge.
    • (Spenser)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) boueer, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A peasant; a farmer.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) Bauer.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Either of the two highest trumps in euchre.
    • Derived terms
    * best bower * left bower * right bower

    Etymology 4

    From the bow of a ship

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) A type of ship's anchor, carried at the bow.
  • One who bows or bends.
  • A muscle that bends a limb, especially the arm.
  • * Spenser
    • His rawbone arms, whose mighty brawned bowers / Were wont to rive steel plates and helmets hew.

    Etymology 5

    From bough, compare brancher.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete, falconry) A young hawk, when it begins to leave the nest.
    • (Webster 1913)