Beau and bow are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of beau and bow, where these two words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
A beau is a lady’s boyfriend, a suitor or sweetheart of a lady. Beau may also mean a fashionable young man, though it is rarely used. The plural form of beau may be rendered as beaux or beaus. The word beau is a borrowed or loan word from the French. A borrowed word or loan word is one that has been taken from another language and used as an English word. In French, the word beau means beautiful or handsome.
A bow is 1.) a knot that has loose ends and two loops, often used to tie shoelaces 2.) a rod strung with horsehair and used to play a stringed instrument 3.) a weapon used to shoot arrows 4.) a decoration used to adorn a package or gift. Bow may used as a verb to mean to play a stringed instrument with a bow, related words are bows, bowed, bowing. The word bow is derived from the Old English word boga, meaning bend or arch.
Examples
Surrounded by images of the duo canoodling and kissing for the camera, Chloe proceeded to thank her beau in the caption for helping her enjoy ‘every second of life’, since they staretd dating. (The Daily Mail)
Once the cone is completely covered with hearts, tie a bow using a coordinating color of grosgrain ribbon and hot glue it to the top. (The Greensboro News & Record)
A London-based musical quartet with a surprising number of strings to their bows are bringing their unique show to north Norfolk. (The North Norfolk News)