The difference between Bow and Congé
When used as nouns, bow means a weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows, whereas congé means a leavetaking, a farewell, in various senses.
When used as verbs, bow means to play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow, whereas congé means to take leave, to bid farewell, in various senses.
check bellow for the other definitions of Bow and Congé
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Bow as a noun:
A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
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Bow as a noun:
A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).
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Bow as a noun:
A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
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Bow as a noun:
A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking.
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Bow as a noun:
A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping.
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Bow as a noun:
Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow.
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Bow as a noun:
The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke.
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Bow as a noun:
Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters.
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Bow as a noun (nautical):
A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea.
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Bow as a noun (saddlery):
Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree.
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Bow as a noun:
The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key.
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Bow as a verb:
To play music on (a stringed instrument) using a bow.
Examples:
"The musician bowed his violin expertly."
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Bow as a verb (intransitive):
To become bent or curved.
Examples:
"The shelf bowed under the weight of the books."
"RQ:King James Version Psalms 62 3 passage=How long wil ye imagine mischiefe against a man? ye shall be slaine all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence."
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Bow as a verb (transitive):
To make something bend or curve.
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Bow as a verb (transitive, figurative):
To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline.
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Bow as a verb (intransitive):
To premiere.
Examples:
"Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" bows in Cannes this week."
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Bow as a verb (intransitive):
To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.
Examples:
"That singer always bows towards her audience for some reason."
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Bow as a verb (transitive, and, intransitive):
To debut.
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Bow as a verb (intransitive):
To defer (to something).
Examples:
"I bow to your better judgement in the matter."
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Bow as a verb (transitive):
To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing.
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Bow as a noun:
A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence
Examples:
"He made a polite bow as he entered the room."
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Bow as a noun (nautical):
The front of a boat or ship.
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Bow as a noun (rowing):
The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat.
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Congé as a noun (archaic):
a leavetaking, a farewell, in various senses; a bow, a curtsey, or similar gestures whether or not used for taking leave.
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Congé as a noun (architecture):
or cavetto: supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round.
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Congé as a verb (archaic):
to take leave, to bid farewell, in various senses; to bow, curtsey, etc.