DCHP-1 Online
bowman Hist. 
1 n. the crewman of a canoe or York boat whose position is in the bow.
See also: bowsman
- c1804 (1889-1890) The bowman and the steersman can then carry [during a portage], a duty from which the middlemen are exempt.
- 1775 (1934) The Bowman have by Frobisher's account from 14 to 16 a Year, and the 2 Men that sets in the Middle of each Canoe have from 10 to 12 L.
2 n. the paddler whose position is in the bow of a canoe.
- 1915 [The] roaring water . . . drowns the human voice so completely that the bowman can only make use of signals. . . .
- 1956 . . . the bowman could drive the spike of his pole into a jutting log and pull the canoe up inch by inch or the sternsman could in turn shove against the log.
- c1804 (1889-1890) The bowman and the steersman can then carry [during a portage], a duty from which the middlemen are exempt.