bow

I.

bow¹ [bəʊ]

1. noun

   a. ( = weapon) arc m

   b. [of violin] archet m

   c. (tied in ribbon, string) nœud m

2. compounds

► bow-legged adjective

• to be bow-legged avoir les jambes arquées ► bow tie noun nœud m papillon

► bow window noun bow-window m (en arc de cercle)

II.

bow² [baʊ]

1. noun

   a. (with head) salut m ; (with body) révérence f

• to make a (deep) bow saluer (bas)

• to take a bow saluer

   b. [of ship] proue f

• the bows la proue

• in the bows en proue

2. intransitive verb

   a. (in greeting) saluer d'un signe de tête

• to bow to sb saluer qn d'un signe de tête

   b. ( = submit) s'incliner (to devant) (under sous)

• we must bow to your greater knowledge nous devons nous incliner devant votre grand savoir

• to bow to sb's opinion se soumettre à l'opinion de qn

• to bow to the inevitable s'incliner devant les faits

3. transitive verb

courber

• to bow one's head courber la tête

• his head was bowed in thought il méditait, tête penchée

► bow down intransitive verb s'incliner (to sb devant qn)

► bow out intransitive verb tirer sa révérence (fig)

* * *

I [bəʊ]

noun

1) (weapon) arc m

2) Music archet m

3) (knot) nœud m

to tie a bow — faire un nœud

••

to have more than one string to one's bow — avoir plus d'une corde à son arc

II 1. [baʊ]

noun

1) (movement) salut m

to take a bow — Theatre saluer

2) Nautical avant m, proue f

on the starboard bow — par tribord devant

2.

transitive verb baisser [head]; courber [branch]; incliner [tree]

3.

intransitive verb

1) (bend forward) saluer

to bow to — saluer

2) (give way)

to bow to — s'incliner devant [wisdom, necessity]

to bow to pressure — céder à la pression

3) (sag) [plant, shelf] se courber (under sous)

4.

bowed past participle adjective [head] penché; [back] courbé

Phrasal Verbs:

- bow down

- bow out

••

to bow and scrape — fig faire des courbettes (to devant)

to fire a shot across somebody's bows — fig tirer un coup de semonce à quelqu'un

English-French dictionary. 2013.