Word of the Day

: August 3, 2011

bower

noun BOW-er

What It Means

1 : an attractive dwelling or retreat

2 : a lady's private apartment in a medieval hall or castle

3 : a shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together : arbor

bower in Context

Bryan knelt down before Maura -- who was seated on a bench in the bower -- took her hand, and asked her if she would marry him.

"With its urban parks and backyard bowers, and its many varieties of flowering and hardwood trees, Memphis sometimes seems more forest than city." -- From an article by John Beifuss in The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), July 21, 2011

Did You Know?

"Bower" derives from Old English "bur," meaning "dwelling," and was originally used of attractive homes or retreats, especially rustic cottages. In the Middle Ages, "bower" came to refer to a lady's personal hideaway within a medieval castle or hall: her private apartment. Today's "arbor" sense combines the pastoral beauty of a rustic retreat with the privacy of a personal apartment. Although its tranquil modern meaning belies it, "bower" is distantly related to the far more roughshod "bowery," which is the name of a district in New York City at one time known mostly for its flophouses and pawn shops. The Bowery got its name from a Dutch term for a dwelling or farm that shares a common ancestor with the terms that gave rise to "bower."