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Bowstring

1. The string of a bow.

2. A string used by the turks for strangling offenders. Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends.

(Science: botany) bowstring hemp, the tenacious fibre of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in india and Africa, from which bowstrings are made.