calf

¹ American  

[kaf, kahf] / kæf, kɑf /

noun

plural

calves

1. the young of the domestic cow or other bovine animal.

2. the young of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.

3. calfskin.

4. Informal. an awkward, silly boy or man.

5. a mass of ice detached from a glacier, iceberg, or floe.

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idioms

1. kill the fatted calf, to prepare an elaborate feast in welcome or celebration.

2. in calf, (of a cow or other animal having calves) pregnant.

calf ² American  

[kaf, kahf] / kæf, kɑf /

noun

plural

calves

1. the fleshy part of the back of the human leg below the knee.

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calf ¹ British  

/ kɑːf /

noun

1. the young of cattle, esp domestic cattle

2. the young of certain other mammals, such as the buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and whale

3. a large piece of floating ice detached from an iceberg, etc

4. to celebrate lavishly, esp as a welcome

5. another name for calfskin

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calf ² British  

/ kɑːf /

noun

1. the thick fleshy part of the back of the leg between the ankle and the knee

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calf More Idioms  

1. see kill the fatted calf; puppy (calf) love.

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Other Word Forms

• calfless adjective
• calflike adjective

Etymology

Origin of calf¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English cealf, calf; cognate with Old Saxon kalf, Old Norse kalfr, Old High German kalb, from Germanic kalboz

Origin of calf²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse kalfi

Example Sentences

My yellow Converse sank into an inch of flattened hay, and my sundress did nothing to protect my legs from it tickling my calves and ankles.

From Literature

Spying an empty bus shelter on the opposite side of the street, I sit on the icy metal bench and wrap my arms tight around my calves, rest my forehead on my knees.

From Literature

“If I lived in another country, my legs wouldn’t look like this,” she said, rolling up her pants to show the chronic sores on her calves.

From Los Angeles Times

The grade-two calf tear he sustained originated from a "freak accident" when he overstretched at the end of his semi-final, straining the muscle which eventually gave out in the medal race.

From BBC

Roberts also used a mound visit in the fourth inning when Sasaki said his calves were close to cramping up.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• shin