Bow vs Gun - What's the difference?

bow | gun |

As a noun 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.

As a verb 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.

As a proper noun gun is

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

Anagrams

* English heteronyms English terms with multiple etymologies

gun

English

(wikipedia gun)

Etymology 1

(etyl) Lady Gunilda which was a huge crossbow that used powerful shot. It later became used for firearms like cannons and muskets. The (etyl) woman’s name “Gundahild” is cognate to modern Scandinavian Gunhild. In Old Norse gunnr meant “battle", “war" + hildr (Old English cognate: hild), a word also meaning battle (for its usage as a female name see: Hilda), but in this context means "battle maid”.

Noun

(en noun)

A .

*:They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect.

#A very portable, short firearm, for hand use, which fires bullets or projectiles, such as a handgun, revolver, pistol or Derringer.

#A less portable, long firearm, bullet or projectile firing; a rifle, either manual, automatic or semi-automatic; a flintlock, musket or shotgun.

#(lb) A cannon with relatively long barrel, operating with relatively low angle of fire, and having a high muzzle velocity.JP 1-02. Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, 8 November 2010 (As Amended Through 15 March 2012) , p.142. ([//www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/ Searchable online version])

#(lb) A cannon with a 6-inch/155mm minimum nominal bore diameter and tube length 30 calibers or more. See also: howitzer; mortar.

#(lb) A firearm or cannon used for saluting or signalling.

#*:It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street.. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.

A and acting in a manner similar to a firearm.

#Any implement designed to fire a projectile from a tube.

#A device or tool that projects a substance.

#A device or tool that something rather than projecting it.

(lb) A long surfboard designed for surfing big waves (not the same as a longboard, a gun has a pointed nose and is generally a little narrower).

*2000 , Drew Kampion, '' surfline.com

*:by the winter of 1962, the Brewer Surfboards Hawaii gun was the most in-demand big-wave equipment on the North Shore.

(lb) A pattern that "fires" out other patterns.

*2000 , Gary William Flake, The computational beauty of nature

*:The glider gun on the bottom of the NOT circuit emits a continuous stream of gliders, while the data stream source emits a glider only when there is a value of 1 in the stream.

*2010 , Andrew Adamatzky, Game of Life Cellular Automata , p.74:

*:Greene's period-416 2c /5 spaceship gun

(lb) A man who carries or uses a rifle, shotgun or handgun.

The biceps.

Violent blasts of wind.

Derived terms

* air gun, airgun * BB gun * big gun * blowgun, blow gun * cap-gun * chase gun * coilgun, coil gun * costain gun * electric gun * electron gun * flame gun * flare gun * flashgun * Gardner gun * Gatling gun * Gauss gun * glue gun * go great guns * grease gun * gunboat * gun cotton, guncotton * gun culture * gun dog, gundog * gunfight * gunfighter * gunfire * gunflint * gun lobby * gunman * gunmetal * gunner * gunnery * gunplay * gunpoint * gunport * gunpowder, gun powder * gunroom * gunrunner * gunrunning * gunship * gunshot * gunshy, gun-shy, gun shy * gunsight * gunslinger * gunsmith * gunstock * gunzel * handgun * hired gun * hookgun * Hotchkiss gun * jump the gun * laser gun, laser-gun, lasergun * light gun * long gun * machine gun, machine-gun * minigun * nailgun, nail gun * Nordenfelt gun * pellet gun * popgun, pop gun * Quaker gun * radar gun * rail gun, railgun * railroad gun * railway gun * ray gun, ray-gun, raygun * shotgun, shot-gun * six-gun * smoking gun * son of a gun * spear gun * spring gun * spud gun * squirt gun * staple gun * Sten gun * stick to one’s guns * stun gun * stutter gun * submachine gun * swivel gun * Tommy gun * toy gun * under the gun * water gun * young gun * zipgun

Verb

(gunn)

To shoot someone or something, usually with a firearm.

He gunned down the hitmen .

The CEO gunned down that idea before we could present it to the board.

To speed something up.

He gunned the engine .

To offer vigorous support to a person or cause.

He’s gunning for you .

To seek to attack someone; to take aim at someone.

He's been gunning for you ever since you embarrassed him at the party.

To practice fowling or hunting small game; chiefly in participial form: to go gunning .

Derived terms

* gun down * gun it * outgun

Etymology 2

From (gunna), from (gonna), from (going to)

Verb

(head)

I'm gun go get da gun from da closet.

Anagrams

References

1000 English basic words ----