Where does “bowstring” come from?
Bowstring comes from English bow and English string, with string deriving from Middle Dutch strenge, Old English streng, and Proto-Germanic *strangiz meaning tight or firm.
bowstring (English): The string of an archer's bow; The string of an...
Definitions
- The string of an archer's bow; The string of an...
Ancestry of “bowstring”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | bow | A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other... |
| 2 | Middle English | bowe | bow; bowman |
| 3 | Old English | boga | bow; arch |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bogō | arch, bow; bow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bugô | bow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰugʰ- | bow; arch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewgʰ- | to bend; curve, arch |