bowstring

Bow"string`, n. 1. The string of a bow. 2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders. Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. -- Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends. -- Bowstring hemp (Bot.), the tenacious fiber of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in India and Africa, from which bowstrings are made. Balfour. Bow"string`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowstringed ( or Bowstrung (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowstringing.] Defn: To strangle with a bowstring.

---