Where does “oxbow” come from?

oxbow (English) comes from English ox, from German Ochse, from Middle High German ohse, from Old High German ohso, from Proto-West Germanic ohsō, from Proto-Germanic uhsô, from Proto-Indo-European uksḗn, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-s-ḗn.

oxbow (English): A U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an...

Definitions

  1. A U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an...

Ancestry of “oxbow”, step by step

oxbow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ox

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoxAn adult castrated male of cattle; Any bovine...
2GermanOchseox
3Middle High Germanohseox
4Old High Germanohsoox
5Proto-West Germanicohsōox
6Proto-Germanicuhsôox
7Proto-Indo-Europeanuksḗnbull
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ug-s-ḗn—

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-s-ḗn →Every word from Proto-Indo-European uksḗn →Every word from Proto-Germanic uhsô →
oxbow — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer