longbow

[ lawng-boh, long- ]

noun

1. a large bow drawn by hand, as that used by English archers from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

longbow

/ ˈlɒŋˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a large powerful hand-drawn bow, esp as used in medieval England

Word History and Origins

Origin of longbow¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; long ¹ + bow ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. draw the longbow, to exaggerate in telling stories; overstate something:

   He's sure to draw the longbow on the size of his catch of fish.

Example Sentences

His corpse was preserved as a “natural mummy” until 1991, when hikers found him along with some of his clothing and gear — including a copper ax, a longbow and a bearskin hat.

From Seattle Times

In the half-light of dusk I see them, five of them, crouched on a hill, their naked bodies painted, arrows flying from their longbows.

From Literature

Thomas broached a long list of historical figures, including the English King Henry VIII, who the ruling says worried that the advent of handguns threatened his subjects’ proficiency with the longbow.

From Seattle Times

One thinks of the longbow used by the English archers at Agincourt in the Middle Ages or the heavily armoured tanks that epitomised the ground combat of World War Two.

From BBC

The Iceman’s survival gear included a longbow of yew, a quiver of arrows, a copper ax and a kind of crude first-aid kit full of plants with powerful pharmacological properties.

From New York Times