bowman:

(plural: ‘bowmen’; pronunciation: ‘bow…man’)

a bowman shooting an arrow

(old usage & the letters ‘bow’, in this context, rhyme with the word ‘so’)  a person who shoots arrows with a bow;

an archer;

{the letters ‘bow’, in this context, rhyme with ‘cow’} a person who rows a boat with oars at the “bow”, front part, of a boat, i.e. moves a boat on water using a pair of poles with flat ends;

an oarsman,

the bowman (bow-woman, in this case) — the first of the 8 rowers

e.g.

In medieval battles, a bowman would shoot about twelve arrows in a minute causing high rate of casualties to the enemy.

In a boat race, it is the bowman who takes the highest risk because he not only stays at the front of the boat, which is a dangerous place to be on a speeding boat at sea,  but also does other tasks such as climbing the mast and fixing the sails.

A bowman on a boat uses oars or paddles and a bowman in a battle uses bows and arrows, and both shoot forward — the former the boat, and the latter, the arrows!  (Remember, the first ‘bow’ rhymes with “cow”, and the second ‘bow’ rhymes with “so”.)

Note: ‘Bowman’, always with a capital “B” & with the letters ‘bow’ rhyming with the word ‘so’, is often found in the names of people, e.g. Christopher Bowman, Robert Bowman, Edith Bowman, etc.
For more on a ‘bowman’ of a boat (with videos), please click here.

For more on a ‘bowman’ in a battle, please click here.

Return to “archer“.
Return to “oarsman“.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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