bowery

1 of 2

noun

bow·​ery ˈbau̇(-ə)r-ē 

plural boweries

1

: a colonial Dutch plantation or farm

2

[Bowery, street in New York City] : a city district known for cheap bars and for having many unhoused people living in the streets

bowery

2 of 2

adjective

: like a bower (see bower entry 1) : full of bowers

… many other choice flowers, which thrive best in partial shade, perfumed this bowery walk, and decked it with endless bloom. Near the southern end, the bower-alley was widened to ten or twelve feet.

—William Bottrell

Examples of bowery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

A novelty store, a Chinese hand laundry and a Chinese hairstylist were operating at 50-52 Bowery in 1974, around the time a keen young entrepreneur named Joseph Chu bought the buildings. —Emily S. Rueb, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Dutch bouwerij, from bouwer farmer, from bouwen to till; akin to Old High German būan to dwell

First Known Use

Noun

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1713, in the meaning defined above