prow
/praʊ
/noun
1The pointed front part of a ship; the bow.The menu says the property dates back to the 15th century and once belonged to a sea captain, hence the prow from a ship that surmounts the entrance door....
- At night, as you dine by oil lamp on kingfish, pilau rice and tropical fruits, the fishing boats set forth once more like Viking ships, their prows cutting through the waves and paddles fighting with the swell.
- A graceful and brightly painted barge with a swan's head carved on its prow sped across Lake Tallian towards Tellui the next morning.
Synonyms
bow, bows, stem, fore, forepart, front, head, nose, cutwater
informal sharp end
rare fore-end, stem-post, beak, beakhead
1.1The pointed or projecting front part of something such as a car or building: the commanding prow of the Jaguar...
- Signal is the first of four large-scale art installations which will cover the prow of the building between now and February 2004.
- But the world still comes to visit Foster where he sits, at the downstream end, the angled prow, of the studio.
- Exterior styling for the Accord appears sleek, but angular and edgy with a squared-off prow and classy beveled grille.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from Old French proue, from Provençal proa, probably via Latin from Greek prōira, from a base represented by Latin pro 'in front'.