bower

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The bower was always invitingly open in the back garden; hence the bower was the regular rendezvous of the trappers.

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Definitions (29)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. noun A shaded, leafy recess; an arbor.
  2. noun A woman's private chamber in a medieval castle; a boudoir.
  3. noun A rustic cottage; a country retreat.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (14)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (8)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • The bower was always invitingly open in the back garden; hence the bower was the regular rendezvous of the trappers. —  The Wild Man of the West A Tale of the Rocky Mountains
  • In the centre of the bower was a splendid Platanus, or Oriental plane--a huge hill of leaves--one of the noblest specimens of that regularly beautiful tree which I remember to have seen. —  Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume I (of 10)
  • In the meantime, Arthur led Alice along the edge of the rock to a little, natural bower beyond, which Alice called her bower, and where she and Helen had made a bed of moss, and adorned it with shells. —  Helen and Arthur or, Miss Thusa's Spinning Wheel
  • By-and-by she crept into the old bower where Rosamund and Irene had spent a midsummer night--a night altogether very different from the present one, for the bower was not waterproof, and the cold sleet came in and fell upon the half-dressed child. —  A Modern Tomboy A Story for Girls
  • He was a very little boy Lady Ker shut herself up in her own room--her "bower," the servants called it Soon Randal heard heavy steps on the stairs, and whispering. —  The Gold Of Fairnilee
 

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Etymologies (9)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English bour, a dwelling, from Old English būr; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (8)

  1. Early modern English also bour, bourc, etc.; from Middle English bour, from Anglo-Saxon būr, a dwelling, house, room, chamber (=Old Saxon būr = Middle Low German būr, a house, cage, Low German buur, a cage, = Old High German būr, a chamber, Middle High German būr, German bauer, a cage, = Icelandic būa, a chamber, larder, store-room, = Swedish bur = Danish bur, formerly buur), from būan = Icelandic būa, etc., dwell. Cf. booth, bottle, build, etc., from the same root. Hence ult. boor, bower, and neigh-bour, neigh-bor.
  2. from bower, n.
  3. from bow + -er.
  4. from bow, 1, = bough, + -er.
  5. Late Middle English boueer, from Dutch bouwer, a farmer, peasant (in this sense properly boer), also a builder, = German bauer, a peasant, also a builder: see boor, and cf. bower.
  6. English spelling of German bauer, a peasant, a farmer; in a German pack of cards, the knave or jack; = Dutch boer, a farmer, the knave in cards, later English boor, q. v.
  7. from bow, n. and u., + -er. Cf. bowyer.
  8. Also written booer; from bow, a head of cattle, farm-stock, + -er.
 

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/ˈbəər/
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