Where does “bow out” come from?

bow out (English) comes from English bow, from Middle English bowe, from Old English boga, from Proto-West Germanic bogō, from Proto-Germanic bugô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰugʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- — to bend; curve, arch.

bow out (English): To resign, or leave, with one's credibility still...

Definitions

  1. To resign, or leave, with one's credibility still...

Ancestry of “bow out”, step by step

bow out traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbowA weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other...
2Middle Englishbowebow; bowman
3Old Englishbogabow; arch
4Proto-West Germanicbogōarch, bow; bow
5Proto-Germanicbugôbow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰugʰ-bow; arch
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewgʰ-to bend; curve, arch

via English out

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoutAway from the inside, centre or other point of...
2Middle Englishouteout
3Old Englishūtout
4Proto-West Germanic*ūtout, outward
5Proto-Germanicūtout, outward
6Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰugʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bugô →