- longbow
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/lawng"boh', long"-/, n.1. a large bow drawn by hand, as that used by English archers from the 12th to the 16th centuries.2. draw the longbow, to exaggerate in telling stories; overstate something: He's sure to draw the longbow on the size of his catch of fish.[1490-1500; LONG1 + BOW2]
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Leading missile weapon of the English from the 14th century into the 16th century.Probably of Welsh origin, it was usually 6 ft (2 m) tall and shot arrows more than a yard long. The best were made of yew, might require a force of 100 lbs (45 kg) to draw, and had an effective range of 200 yards (180 m). English archers used longbows in the Hundred Years' War, and the weapon played an important role in the battles of Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt. See also bow and arrow, crossbow.* * *
bow commonly 6 feet (1.8 metres) tall and the predominant missile weapon of the English in the Hundred Years' War and on into the 16th century. It was probably of Welsh origin. The best longbows were made of yew, might have required a force of as much as 150 to 180 pounds (70 to 80 kg) to draw, and shot arrows a cloth yard (about 37 inches, or 94 cm) long, with an effective range of some 450 to 1,000 feet (140 to 300 metres) depending on the weight of the arrow. The longbow played an important role in the battles of Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
