oxbow
/ˈɒksbəʊ/noun
oxbow is spelled O-X-B-O-W: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, oxbow means “A U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an ox, the upper parts of which are fastened to its yoke” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of oxbow is oxbows.
How many letters and syllables are in oxbow?
| Letters | 5: O-X-B-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is oxbow?
Oxbow appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce oxbow?
- UK /ˈɒksbəʊ/
Oxbow has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of oxbow
- oxbows plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oxbow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an ox, the upper parts of which are fastened to its yoke.
- 2
A meander in a river; the land enclosed by such a loop.
- 3
Short for oxbow lake.
Old oxbows ('mortlakes') are often rich in plants and animals including rarer ones which have been eliminated from the main channel by pollution or management since the separation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oxbow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an ox:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Ochsengeschirr, Ochsenkummet |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does oxbow come from?
From ox + bow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).