Emily Dickinson Lexicon

bow (-s), n. [OE 'bow, bend'; note that the /bau/ and /bo:/ forms come from the same etymology.]

1. /bo:/; Violin rod; flexible appliance for making music sound from strings; [fig.] brain; mind; reason; sanity; will; control; volition; inclination; organ of intelligence; capacity for language.
2. /bau/; Polite gesture; salutation by bending; courteous body language; token of respect by lowering the head; motion of reverence by inclining the upper torso downward.
3. /bau/ and /bo:/; Descent; lowering; downward motion; [fig.] condescension; inclination; [sound play and sense play] arch; prism; rainbow; refraction of light; (see Genesis 9:13).
4. /bo:/; Weapon; archer's instrument; curved wooden frame for shooting arrows; (see Genesis 27:3); [fig.] charm; spell; trance; enamoring; infatuation; enchantment.