cow

¹

[ kou ]

noun

, plural cows, (Archaic) kine. [kahyn]

1. the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.
2. the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.
3. Informal. a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.
4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
   1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.
   2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.

cow

²

[ kou ]

verb (used with object)

1. to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.

   Synonyms: bully, scare, terrorize

cow

¹

/ kaʊ /

verb

1. tr to frighten or overawe, as with threats

cow

²

/ kaʊ /

noun

1. the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle
2. the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal
3. not in technical use any domestic species of cattle
4. informal.
   a disagreeable woman
5. slang.
   something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )
6. till the cows come home informal.
   for a very long time; effectively for ever

Other Words From

• cow·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, cū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse kȳr, Sanskrit gáuḥ “ox, cow,” Latin bōs “ox, cow,” Greek boûs “ox, cow”; bovine, gaur

Origin of cow²

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse kūga “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

C17: from Old Norse kūga to oppress, related to Norwegian kue, Swedish kuva

Origin of cow²

Old English cū; related to Old Norse kӯr, Old High German kuo, Latin bōs, Greek boūs, Sanskrit gāŭs

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have a cow, Slang. to become very angry or upset; throw a fit:

   My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.

2. till / until the cows come home, for a long time; forever:

   You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

More idioms and phrases containing cow

In addition to the idiom beginning with cow , also see cash cow ; holy cow ; sacred cow ; till the cows come home .

Example Sentences

The bird flu crisis, driven by the H5N1 virus, began several years ago, but ramped up considerably in April when dairy cows started becoming infected.

From Salon

His herd of 400 cows are milked three times a day on behalf of a major milk supplier and his 18,000 hens lay eggs for a leading supermarket.

From BBC

A man who was told a pregnant cow was stuck in his swimming pool said he is over the moon after a successful rescue attempt.

From BBC

All had been in contact with infected dairy cows.

From Los Angeles Times

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking the H5N1 avian flu that is widespread in wild birds worldwide and causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• bludgeon
• bully
• daunt
• dishearten
• embarrass
• faze
• frighten
• rattle
• strong-arm
• subdue
• terrorize
• unnerve