prow

1 of 2

adjective

ˈprau̇ 

archaic

: valiant, gallant

prow

2 of 2

noun

ˈprau̇ 

 archaic  ˈprō

1

: the bow of a ship : stem

2

: a pointed projecting front part

Examples of prow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Flatiron Building, whose prow has nosed up Broadway across 23rd Street since its completion in 1902, has housed its last office tenant and is going residential, The Real Deal first reported this morning. —Curbed, 26 Oct. 2023

My room, modeled on a Parisian atelier, featured the prow of an early-20th-century boat jutting from one wall. —Gary Shteyngart, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2023

Whenever the beach goes underwater and the waves move in, this corner building looks like the prow of a ship lost at sea. —Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023

Aircraft carriers, and most other ships, also have sharp prows, the front part of a ship above the waterline. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2023

The post tells a story in two pictures: the first shows a sharply curved aircraft carrier prow that narrows to a knifelike point, which to some implies the entire bottom of the ship is knifelike. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2023

Hurtig, a lanky forward with a prow of bright-blond hair, loped toward the ball and sent a low, hard shot. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2023

Bezos' boat, named Koru, which symbolizes new beginnings, notably has a wooden sculpture that resembles his fiancée on the prow. —Charlotte Triggs, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2023

The researchers note that its heavy prow and stern may not have fared well in fast currents, suggesting that it may have been created for ritual purposes rather than practical ones. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French pru, prou — more at proud

Noun

Middle French proue, probably from Old Italian dialect prua, from Latin prora, from Greek prōira

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prow

noun

ˈprau̇

: the bow of a ship