A type of bow that, when unstrung, actually curves in the opposite direction in which you draw it. So, relative to the person who's holding the bow, it is convex when unstrung and concave when strung. Composite recurve bows are made with a layer of bone on the side towards the archer, which resists compression, and a layer of sinew on the other side, which resists tension. This makes for one hell of a powerful bow, with possible ranges up to 800 yards! (I read this in an early 1800's book on warcraft). This is how they made thim historically.