bowstring

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

1.The string of a bow. [1913 Webster]

2.A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]