oxbow

[ oks-boh ]

noun

1. a U -shaped piece of wood placed under and around the neck of an ox with its upper ends in the bar of the yoke.
2. Physical Geography, Geology.
   1. a bow-shaped bend in a river, or the land embraced by it.
   2. Also called oxbow lake. a bow-shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.

oxbow

/ ˈɒksˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a U-shaped piece of wood fitted under and around the neck of a harnessed ox and attached to the yoke
2. Also calledoxbow lakecutoff a small curved lake lying on the flood plain of a river and constituting the remnant of a former meander

oxbow

/ ŏks′bō′ /

1. A sharp, U-shaped bend in a river. The bend is so sharp that only a narrow neck of land is left between the two parts of the river.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oxbow¹

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; ox, bow ²

Example Sentences

The 650-mile-long river originates in Russia and meanders southeast through the eastern Donbas region before re-entering Russian territory, forming oxbow lakes, floodplains and swamps.

From New York Times

The trail threads a narrow gap between the lake and the river, which makes sense, given that an oxbow lake is actually a remnant of a river bend.

From Seattle Times

The Duwamish River once meandered through a tidal wonderland of wetlands, sloughs, side channels and oxbows — some 5,300 acres of habitat for wildlife, including salmon, birds and a banquet of insect and invertebrate life.

From Seattle Times

With the collaboration of the Chicago artist Theaster Gates, the team kept the statue of Tom Lee in mind while planning the park’s topography, which meanders and coalesces much like the Mississippi’s oxbows and wetlands.

From New York Times

TC Palm newspapers reported that the Kissimmee River’s restored floodplains and oxbows will help clean water laden with nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff, which has fed harmful algal blooms, plaguing the lake for decades.

From Seattle Times