Standard Lemma guide

bowstring

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈboʊ.stɹɪŋ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbəʊ.stɹɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The string of an archer's bow.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To strangle with a bowstring.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the string of an archer's bow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cord

History

Etymology

From bow + string.

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ahtna: tsʼitlʼuuł — string of an archer's bow
  • Southern Altai: кириш (kiriš) — string of an archer's bow
  • Amharic: የቀስት ክር (yäḳäst kər) — string of an archer's bow
  • Arabic: وَتَر (watar) — string of an archer's bow
  • Armenian: աղեղնալար (aġeġnalar) — string of an archer's bow
  • Azerbaijani: kiriş — string of an archer's bow
  • Belarusian: цеціва́ (cjecivá) — string of an archer's bow
  • Bulgarian: тетива́ (tetivá) — string of an archer's bow
  • Burmese: လေးကြိုး (le:krui:) — string of an archer's bow
  • Cahuilla: 'alxawill — string of an archer's bow
  • Catalan: corda — string of an archer's bow
  • Chinese Cantonese: 弓弦 (gung1 jin4) — string of an archer's bow
  • Chinese Cantonese: 弦 (jin4) — string of an archer's bow
  • Chinese: гунщян (gunxian) — string of an archer's bow
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弓弦 (gōngxián) — string of an archer's bow
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弦 (xián) — string of an archer's bow
  • Chuvash: хирлӳ (hirlü) — string of an archer's bow
  • Czech: tětiva — string of an archer's bow
  • Danish: buestreng — string of an archer's bow
  • Dutch: boogpees — string of an archer's bow
  • Dutch: boogstreng — string of an archer's bow
  • Estonian: vibunöör — string of an archer's bow
  • Finnish: jänne — string of an archer's bow
  • French: corde — string of an archer's bow
  • Georgian: ლარი (lari) — string of an archer's bow
  • Georgian: ლამბი (lambi) — string of an archer's bow
  • German: Bogensehne — string of an archer's bow
  • Ancient Greek: νευρά (neurá) — string of an archer's bow
  • Hindi: ज्या (jyā) — string of an archer's bow
  • Hindi: प्रत्यंचा (pratyañcā) — string of an archer's bow
  • Hungarian: íjhúr — string of an archer's bow
  • Icelandic: bogastrengur — string of an archer's bow
  • Italian: corda — string of an archer's bow
  • Japanese: 弓弦 — string of an archer's bow
  • Japanese: 弦 (tsuru) — string of an archer's bow
  • Kazakh: адырна (adyrna) — string of an archer's bow
  • Khmer: បន្លោះ (bɑnlɑh) — string of an archer's bow
  • Khmer: ចាប (caap) — string of an archer's bow
  • Korean: 궁현 (gunghyeon) — string of an archer's bow
  • Korean: 활줄 (hwaljul) — string of an archer's bow
  • Korean: 활시위 (hwalsiwi) — string of an archer's bow
  • Central Kurdish: ژێ (jê) — string of an archer's bow
  • Northern Kurdish: jih — string of an archer's bow
  • Kyrgyz: жаанын жиби (jaanın jibi) — string of an archer's bow
  • Lithuanian: templė — string of an archer's bow
  • : ᦉᦻᦂᦳᧂ (ṡaayk̇ung) — string of an archer's bow
  • Macedonian: тетива (tetiva) — string of an archer's bow
  • Malayalam: ഞാൺ (ñāṇ) — string of an archer's bow
  • Malayalam: വിൽഞാൺ (vilñāṇ) — string of an archer's bow
  • Marathi: प्रत्यंचा (pratyañcā) — string of an archer's bow
  • Mongolian: хөвч (xövč) — string of an archer's bow
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠥᠪᠴᠢ (köbči) — string of an archer's bow
  • Norwegian Bokmål: buestreng — string of an archer's bow
  • Church Slavic: тѧтива (tętiva) — string of an archer's bow
  • Old English: bogan strenġ — string of an archer's bow
  • Pacoh: tarxáng — string of an archer's bow
  • Persian: زِه (zih) — string of an archer's bow
  • Iranian Persian: زِه (zeh) — string of an archer's bow
  • Middle Persian: 𐭦𐭩𐭧 — string of an archer's bow
  • Plautdietsch: Boageseid — string of an archer's bow
  • Polish: cięciwa — string of an archer's bow
  • Portuguese: corda de arco — string of an archer's bow
  • Romagnol: cörda — string of an archer's bow
  • Romanian: coardă — string of an archer's bow
  • Russian: тетива́ (tetivá) — string of an archer's bow
  • Serbo-Croatian: тѐтива — string of an archer's bow
  • Serbo-Croatian: tètiva — string of an archer's bow
  • Slovak: tetiva — string of an archer's bow
  • Slovene: tetiva — string of an archer's bow
  • Spanish: cuerda — string of an archer's bow
  • Swedish: bågsträng — string of an archer's bow
  • Tajik: зеҳ (zeh) — string of an archer's bow
  • Tatar: кереш (kereş) — string of an archer's bow
  • Telugu: అల్లె (alle) — string of an archer's bow
  • Tocharian B: wäntalyi — string of an archer's bow
  • Turkish: kiriş — string of an archer's bow
  • Turkish: yay kiriş — string of an archer's bow
  • Turkmen: kiriş — string of an archer's bow
  • Tuvan: кириш (kiriş) — string of an archer's bow
  • Ukrainian: тятива́ (tjatyvá) — string of an archer's bow
  • Unami: hatapiatàkw — string of an archer's bow
  • Unami: hakisapi — string of an archer's bow
  • Unami: tënikàn — string of an archer's bow
  • Uzbek: kamalak ipi — string of an archer's bow
  • Vietnamese: dây cung — string of an archer's bow