You do not "fire" a bow

[Politruk]

You "shoot" a bow.

I sometimes encounter this error in fantasy and even in historical fiction. It annoys me. Before gunpowder weapons, the word "fire" never was used to mean, "Launch a projectile."

 

[Saint_Ann]

You tie a bow.

 

[IARainman]

I thought your shot an arrow, not a bow.

 

[IARainman]

There are a bunch of these that you either have to take a stand on or let go:

One Does not stand behind the podium to speak.

The 21st century began in 2001 not 2000.

There’s the whole inflammable/flammable thing.

We had to change the word aluminium because so many people misspelled/misused it.

I think I could live with firing arrows (they did sometimes carry flame After all.)

 

[jehoram]

I was told that you "loose" an arrow, not fire or shoot it.

 

[Politruk]

I was told that you "loose" an arrow, not fire or shoot it.

"Loose" probably would be the officer's verbal command.

 

[HordHolm]

I was told that you "loose" an arrow, not fire or shoot it.

To shoot is fine - it is still used in e.g. soccer, where to launch a projectile (the ball) towards the goal with one's foot is also 'to shoot'. 'Shoot', as such, is not connected with the use of combustion to launch a projectile.

The original command an officer would give to musketeers/arquebusiers/artillerymen was, "give fire", at which a lighted match was applied to a fuse (in the case of a cannon) or a firing pan filled with powder. If the musket failed to fire at the application of the match it was a 'flash in the pan'.