bowman

B3O1W4M3A1N1
UK/ˈbəʊmən/US/ˈboʊmən/UK, US/ˈbaʊmən/

noun

A man who uses a bow; an archer.

Meanings

bowman1

nounbowman (plural bowmen)

plural bowmen · alternative bowsman

  1. archeryA man who uses a bow; an archer.

    The whole londe ſhal fle, foꝛ the noyſe of the hoꝛſmen and bowmen: […]

    1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Jeremy [Jeremiah] iiij:[29], folio xxv, verso, column 2
    1 more example

    The walls are slitted with embrasures through which bowmen could fire, indicating that the belfry also served as a stronghold during border skirmishes.

    1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 311, about the church at Pembridge

bowman2

nounbowman (plural bowmen)

plural bowmen · alternative bowsman

  1. nauticalThe person, in a team or among oarsmen, positioned nearest the bow.

Bowman3

proper noun
  1. A surname originating as an occupation for a bowman.
  2. A male given name from surname.
    1 more example

    Reference: WO 373/97/207 Description: Name: Scott, Bowman; Rank: Temporary Major; Service No: 151430; Regiment: CSO's Staff, Air Formation Signals, Second Tactical Air Force; Theatre of Combat or Operation: The London Omnibus List for Gallant and Distinguished Services in the Field; Award: Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; Date of announcement in London Gazette: 19 December 1946.

    1944–1945, “Catalogue description: Recommendation for Award for Scott, Bowman...”, in The National Archives' catalogue, Kew, London: The National Archives, retrieved 31 Mar 2024
  3. A municipality in Papineau Regional County Municipality, Outaouais region, Quebec, Canada.
  4. A number of places in the United States:
  5. A locality in the MidCoast council area, eastern New South Wales, Australia.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

bowman · noun

  1. Middle Englishboweman
  2. Englishbowman

From Middle English boweman, bouman, boughman, equivalent to bow + -man.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan proer
  • proerthe person positioned nearest the bow
Greek πρόκωπος
  • πρόκωπος (prókopos)the person positioned nearest the bow
Hebrew אִישׁ חַרְטוֹם
  • אִישׁ חַרְטוֹם (ísh khartóm)the person positioned nearest the bow
Italian prodiere
  • prodierethe person positioned nearest the bow
Portuguese proeiro
  • proeirothe person positioned nearest the bow
Russian ба́ковый гребе́ц
  • ба́ковый гребе́ц (bákovyj grebéc)the person positioned nearest the bow

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bowman

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

bowman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowman

MLA

“bowman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowman. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bowman,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowman.

Source: bowman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.