Bower refers to an attractive dwelling or retreat, a lady's private apartment in medieval times, or a shelter made of boughs or vines. The word has Old English roots.
Bower bezeichnet eine attraktive Wohnstätte oder ein Rückzugsort, ein privates Gemach einer Dame im Mittelalter oder einen von Zweigen oder Reben gebildeten Unterschlupf. Das Wort hat altenglische Wurzeln.
| Front | bower \BOW-er\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 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" 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."] "With its urban parks and backyard bowers, and its many varieties of flowering and hardwood trees, Memphis sometimes seems more forest than city." |
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