\Bow"string`\, n.
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.
{Bowstring hemp} (Bot.), the tenacious fiber of the
   {Sanseviera Zeylanica}, growing in India and Africa, from
   which bowstrings are made. --Balfour.

\Bow"string`\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bowstringed}or
{Bowstrung}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bowstringing}.]
To strangle with a bowstring.