bowswoman

English

Alternative forms

• bowwoman

Etymology

From bow +‎ -s- +‎ -woman.

Noun

bowswoman (plural bowswomen)

1. A female archer.
   • 1864, Diary of George Dern; or, Jottings of a Year of Middle Life, London: T[homas] Cautley Newby, […], page 65:

     To-morrow we’ll try for deer in the backwoods, you are no bad bowswoman yourself, […]

   • 1879 September 24, S. S. B., “Letter from Iowa”, in Burlington Free Press & Times, volume 34, number 87, Burlington, Vt., published 6 October 1879, page [2], column 3:

     The Des Moines archery club returned from Chicago a few weeks ago laden with trophies won in a contest with the Chicago bowsmen and bowswomen.

   • 1889 August 21, “City Items”, in The Dayton Daily Herald, volume XII, number 21, Dayton, Ohio, page [3], column 3:

     The annual meet of the National Archery Association will take place at the Soldiers’ Home next week, commencing on the 27th. It will be a merrie^[sic] meet, and all the skilled bowsmen and bowswomen in the districts are expected to compete for the admirable prizes.

   • 1936 October 25, “Barnard’s Archery Queens”, in Los Angeles Times, volume LV, part II-A, page 6, columns 4–5:

     Leading bowswomen of the Barnard College archery team are, left to right: Jean Morris, Sarah McManus and Ruth Harris.

   • 1940 August 17, “Big Archery Tournament Is Held In City”, in The Sheboygan Press, volume XXXIII, number 206, Sheboygan, Wis., page 2, column 7:

     But the bowsmen (and bowswomen, too) took off their shoes and socks and began pouring arrows into the 48-inch archery targets as the field rapidly dried.

   • 1961 August 27, “Blackhawk Bowhunters Gather In Greenwood Behind Onalaska H.S.”, in The La Crosse Sunday Tribune, volume 57, number 102, La Crosse, Wis., page 9:

     But, unlike the Robin Hood fable, where only maid Marian was a bowswoman, the watchword of the Blackhawk Bowhunters is “togetherness.”

   • 1970 June 21, Pat McDonnell, “Shower, safari, silver date incentives for round of fests”, in Independent Press-Telegram, volume 19, number 45, Long Beach, Calif., page W-2, column 1:

     Last January, one of Carol’s first assignments for the Women’s Section was to interview Celia Onderdonk, a Long Beach bowswoman who had received a national award in archery competition.

   • 1973 June 7, The Lemoore Advance, 83rd year, number 23, Lemoore, Calif., page fourteen:

     THIS COULD BE TAKEN for Robin Hood’s Merry Men’s Sweethearts, if one had ventured oct^[sic] to Mrs. Huneke’s second period class at Lemoore High School. Here her expert bowsmen — or should we say bowswomen? — take aim at their target.

   • 1998, Kathleen O’Neal Gear, W[illiam] Michael Gear, People of the Masks, New York, N.Y.: Forge, →ISBN, page 255:

     “[…] When I had seen nine winters, I used to climb sheer cliff faces to get where I wanted to go.” “And wrestled any cougars that tried to stop you, I’d wager.” “Why would I wrestle when I carried a bow, fool?” He grinned. “I should have known. A skilled bowswoman at nine winters.”

   • 2003, Malayalam Literary Survey, page 15:

     According to Atiyars Malakkari is an adept bowswoman.

   • 2006, Kresley Cole, No Rest for the Wicked, Pocket Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 334:

     Pointing her sword, she directed bowswomen with their flaming arrows and witches with their spells, as they hurtled their strikes in bright trails at the enemy.

   • 2015, Daisy Davis, Number 17, Garamond Road: A Horse-sur-mer Novel, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

     The arrow pierced him and at the same moment, the bowswoman bent low in the saddle and swept him onto the horse, placing him between herself and the other.

   • 2017, Amanda Potter, ““Atlanta Just Married”: A Case Study in Greek Mythology-Based Fan Fiction”, in Lisa Maurice, editor, Rewriting the Ancient World: Greeks, Romans, Jews and Christians in Modern Popular Fiction, Brill, →ISBN, part 2 (Rewriting the Ancient World in a Modern Setting), page 139:

     “Mirror Image” is about Atalanta the daughter of Poseidon (like Percy), who is a skilled tracker, a good bowswoman and who loves the hunt (like Atalanta from Greek mythology).

2. (rare) A female sailor who works in the bow of a vessel.
   • 1855, Benauly [pseudonym; Benjamin Vaughan Abbott; Austin Abbott; Lyman Abbott], “Cold Water”, in Cone Cut Corners: The Experiences of a Conservative Family in Fanatical Times; Involving Some Account of a Connecticut Village, the People Who Lived in It, and Those Who Came There from the City, New York, N.Y.: Mason Brothers, […], pages 296–297:

     So he passed it along to Salanda, who was, if we may be allowed that expression, bowswoman. She stood it upright in the bows.

   • 1955, Minnesota Naturalist, page 27, column 1:

     Suddenly the man in the stern said horsely,^[sic] “Look at that!” Just then a Ruby Throated Hummingbird darted at the broad expanse of the bowswoman’s gaudy plaid shirt in front of me.

   • 1975 July 13, Rod Nordland, Carole Jacobs, “Travel by Canoe And Paddle, Too”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 293, number 13, page 1-H:

     STERNSMAN: […] And up front, intrepidly scouting for rocks, is my co-narrator and bowsman. BOWSMAN: Hey pal, make that Bowswoman. STERNSMAN: Watch the rocks, THE ROCKS! Ow. BOWSWOMAN: I said “port,” so why’d you go left? […] BOWSWOMAN: Besides, there’s a mystic quality to canoe tripping.

   • 1975 September 15, Peggy Frizzell, “Eco-logue”, in Northwest Arkansas Times, 116th year, number 93, Fayetteville, Ark., page 6, column 1:

     Joel also tried to show me the draw and scoop strokes so that, as bowsman — make that bowswoman — I could steer the ship around any craggy boulders designed to tear apart the canoe if hit headon.

   • 2014, Bob Henderson, “A Mara-Burnside Trip/Conference and the First Franklin Expedition”, in More Trails, More Tales: Exploring Canada’s Travel Heritage, Toronto, Ont.: Dundurn, →ISBN, part one (Introduction: Peregrinations), page 26:

     Though, critique led to an overly wet rapids run for a bowswoman when an enthusiastic conversation distractingly led canoes into the standing waves.

Coordinate terms

• bowsman