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.