arc vs bow

arc

verb
  • To move following a curved path. 

  • To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc. 

  • To form an electrical arc. 

noun
  • A directed edge. 

  • An arclight. 

  • A story arc. 

  • A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve. 

  • That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon. 

  • A curve, in general. 

  • A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space. 

  • A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge between either two electrodes or as lightning. 

  • A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape. 

  • The three-point line. 

bow

verb
  • To make something bend or curve. 

  • To become bent or curved. 

  • To defer (to something). 

  • To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing. 

  • To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow. 

  • To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline. 

  • To debut. 

  • To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference. 

noun
  • Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters. 

  • The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key. 

  • The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke. 

  • A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow). 

  • A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea. 

  • Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree. 

  • A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping. 

  • Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow. 

  • The front of a boat or ship. 

  • A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows. 

  • Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear. 

  • The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat. 

  • A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking. 

  • A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments. 

  • A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence 

How often have the words arc and bow occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )