Plural of 'bowstring': the strings attached to bows to shoot arrows, or historically, cords used for strangulation executions.
From 'bow' and 'string': the essential component that gives a bow its power. Made from various materials including animal sinew, plant fibers, and later, twisted cord.
A bowstring's material mattered enormously—sinew-strung bows performed differently in rain than plant-fiber ones, so archers were constantly experimenting and competing over whose bowstring design was superior.
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