What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Bow vs Class - What's the difference?

bow | class |

In lang=en terms the difference between bow and class

is that bow is to defer (to something) while class is to divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.

As nouns the difference between bow and class

is that bow is a weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows or bow can be a gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist or bow can be (nautical) the front of a boat or ship while class is (countable) a group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.

As verbs the difference between bow and class

is that bow is to play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow or bow can be to bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference while class is to assign to a class; to classify.

As an adjective class is

(irish|british|slang) great; fabulous.

bow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) boga, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
  • A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow ).
  • A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
  • A stringed instrument, similar to the item described above.
  • A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.
  • Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
  • * Bible, Genesis ix. 13
  • I do set my bow in the cloud.
  • The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
  • Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
  • (nautical) A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
  • (saddlery) Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
  • Synonyms
    * (bow-shaped bend) arc, bend, curve * (tool for playing stringed instruments) fiddlestick
    Derived terms
    * bow and arrow * bowman * bowmanship * composite bow * compound bow * crossbow * longbow * oxbow * rainbow * shortbow * bow tie

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow.
  • The musician bowed his violin expertly.
  • To become bent or curved.
  • The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.
  • To make something bend or curve.
  • * Milton
  • We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness.
  • * Prescott
  • The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.
  • (figurative) To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
  • * Fuller
  • not to bow and bias their opinions
  • To premiere.
  • Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" bows in Cannes this week.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch buigen, German biegen, Danish bue.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
  • * 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
  • The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl, dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room. She had lovely green hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said, "Follow me and I will show you your room."
  • * , chapter=4
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.}}
  • (transitive, and, intransitive) To debut.
  • * 2010 (publication date), Kara Krekeler, "Rebuilding the opera house", West End Word , volume 39, number 26, December 22, 2010 – January 11, 2011, page 1:
  • SCP recently announced that How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will bow on the newly renovated stage next December.
  • To defer (to something).
  • Derived terms
    * bow down * bow out * bow and scrape * take a bow

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist.
  • He bowed politely as he entered the room.
  • A debut
  • The new product will make its bow on the world market this summer.
  • * {{quote-journal, 1832, , Literary Notices, The Rail-Road Journal citation
  • , passage=The first named one, it will be observed, is but a debutant. It makes its bow in a drab-colored Quaker-looking dress, and barring a lively McGrawler-like critique upon " Lewis' Poems," is staid and professorial in its tone.}}

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) boech or (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) The front of a boat or ship.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
  • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=6 citation , passage=The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow , though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity.}}
    Synonyms
    * (of a ship) prow
    Antonyms
    * (of a ship) poop, stern
    Derived terms
    * bow shock * bow rudder

    See also

    * coll'arco * curtsy * kowtow * * * * * * *

    class

    English

    (wikipedia class)

    Noun

  • (countable) A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Saj Chowdhury, work=BBC Sport
  • , title= Wolverhampton 1-2 Newcastle , passage=The Magpies are unbeaten and enjoying their best run since 1994, although few would have thought the class of 2011 would come close to emulating their ancestors.}}
  • (countable) A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes; upper class, middle class and working class.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
  • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.}}
  • (uncountable) The division of society into classes.
  • (uncountable) Admirable behavior; elegance.
  • (countable, and, uncountable) A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.
  • A series of classes covering a single subject.
  • (countable) A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class.
  • (countable) A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation.
  • (biology, taxonomy, countable) A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank.
  • Best of its kind.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • (mathematics) A collection of sets definable by a shared property.
  • (military) A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft.
  • (programming, object-oriented) A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set.
  • One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader .
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * business class * character class * class action * class clown * class diagram * class reunion * class struggle * economy class * equivalence class * first class * form class * middle class * noun class * pitch class * professional class * school class * second class * social class * spectral class * super class * third class * touch of class * upper class * working class * abstract class * anonymous/local class * base class * class diagram * convenience class * factory class * final class * inner class * outer class * static class * subclass * wrapper class

    Verb

  • To assign to a class; to classify.
  • * , title=The Mirror and the Lamp
  • , chapter=2 citation , passage=She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.}}
  • To be grouped or classed.
  • — Tatham.
  • To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
  • Derived terms

    (Derived terms) * outclass * subclass

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (Irish, British, slang) great; fabulous
  • Statistics

    *