Glossary: Middle English glosarie, from Latin glōssārium, from glōssa, foreign word.

Archery, medieval style.

Glossary

© Companions of the Longbow

B

 

Back of the bow:

The surface of the bow furthest from the archer when they hold the bow in the shooting position.

 

Backed bow:

A bow consisting primarily of wood but having a thin strip of a material (wood or hide) attached to the back of the bow.

 

Barb:

A rearward turned point on an arrow head.

 

Bare bow:

A bow without sights.

 

Barrelled:

An arrow which is thickest in the middle and tapers to the ends.

 

Belly of the bow:

The surface of the bow closest to the archer when they hold the bow in the shooting position.

 

Bodkin:

A type of arrow head.

 

BLBS:

British Long Bow Society

 

Blunt:

An arrow fitted with a large flat rubber pile used for Popinjay shooting.

 

Bolt, Carreau, Quarrel:

The missile projected from a crossbow.

 

Bouncer:

An arrow that when shot rebounds from the target. Under GNAS rules an additional arrow may be shot, but FITA rules that the arrow can only be scored if arrow holes on the target face are marked (an unmarked hole in the target face being the Bouncer).

 

Bow:

A projectile weapon consisting of a shaft with the two ends joined by a string used to shoot arrows.

 

Bow arm:

The arm which holds the bow.

 

Bow case:

Mainly an Eastern usage, made of leather to accommodate the lower half of the recurve bow.

 

Bowman:

An archer.

 

Bow marks:

Archery targets.

 

Bow puller:

A supposed Roman release aid made from bronze.

 

Bow release:

The way a bow string is released when loosing an arrow. Varieties of release techniques included; primary, secondary, tertiary, Mediterranean, Flemish and Mongolian.

 

Bow stave:

A roughly trimmed length of wood from which a complete self bow is fashioned.

 

Bow square:

A tool that is used to set your nocking point and also used to check the tiller of a bow.

 

Bowstring:

The string of bow made from such materials as; plant fibre, silk or sinew, used to transfer the energy from the bow to the arrow.

 

Bowyer:

A maker of bows.

 

Bow Weight:

See Weight.

 

Brace:

To string a bow.

 

Bracer, Archer's guard, Arm guard:

A covering for an archer's left wrist, used to protect the wrist from the slap of the string.

 

Breast:

The part of an arrow which touches the bow when the arrow is placed on the string ready to be drawn.

 

Broad arrow:

An arrow with a broad barbed head.

 

Broadhead:

A wide steel arrowhead used on hunting arrows.

 

Bulls-eye:

The gold centre circle on a target.

 

Butt:

[1] An earthen mound used as a backing for a target.

[2] A target made from compacted straw.

 

Butt fields:

English public archery practice grounds, 15th century.

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