oxbow
oxbow Lexical Profile
oxbow Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A pronounced U-shaped meander or bend in a river or stream, or the crescent-shaped lake formed when such a meander is cut off from the main channel.
"During the geography field trip, the students observed how sediment deposition gradually severed the river's bend to form an isolated oxbow."
A piece of wood bent into a U-shape that fits snugly around the neck of a draft ox and attaches securely to the yoke.
"The museum displayed an antique wooden yoke complete with the original hand-carved oxbows used for driving pioneer cattle."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Middle English 'oxebowe', a compound of 'ox' and 'bow'. It originally referred exclusively to the U-shaped wooden collar of an ox yoke, but the term was later applied to sharply curving river bends and lakes due to their distinct visual similarity.