bower
|bow-er|
🇺🇸
/ˈbaʊ.ɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˈbaʊə/
sheltered, private place
Etymology
'bower' (card-term sense) originates from German, specifically the word 'Bauer' meaning 'farmer' or 'peasant', which came to be used for the jack in card games and entered English via Dutch/German card-playing usage.
'Bauer' (German) was used in card contexts, adopted into English (and Dutch-influenced dialects) as 'bower' to name the high jack in games like euchre; this borrowing is relatively recent compared with the native English word.
Originally 'Bauer' meant 'farmer' or 'peasant' in German; in card terminology it shifted to denote the jack and was borrowed into English as the card-term 'bower'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a shaded, leafy shelter or recess formed by trees, climbing plants, or an arbour; a shady retreat.
They rested in the bower beneath the vines.
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Noun 2
a lady's private chamber or boudoir (chiefly in older or literary usage).
In the old tale she withdrew to her bower.
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Noun 3
in some card games (especially euchre), the highest-ranking jack (the right or left bower); 'right bower' usually means the jack of trumps.
He played the right bower and won the trick.
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Last updated: 2026/01/04 07:50