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

County has been governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, which was fine when the region had more cows than people.

From Los Angeles Times

In Roriak, children fashion a miniature village out of the clay on the ground, complete with model huts and cows.

From BBC

Infection causes miscarriages in pregnant cows and leaves them unable to breed again.

From BBC

Another passenger described the smell as "terrible", adding: "It smells like there are cows in there."

From BBC

Across the nation, 41 people have been infected — 21 from dairy cows, 19 from poultry and one unknown.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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