different between cowherd vs cow

English

Alternative forms

• cowheard

Etymology

From Middle English couherde, from Old English c?hyrde, equivalent to cow +? herd (“herder”). Doublet of Coward (the surname). Cognate with German Kuhhirte (“cowherd”). Compare shepherd, goatherd, swineherd, etc.

Noun

cowherd (plural cowherds)

1. A person who herds cattle; a cowboy.

Synonyms

• cowherder

Related terms

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• chowder

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: kou, IPA^(key): /ka?/
• \? ka?\
• Rhymes: -a?

Etymology 1

From Middle English cou, cu, from Old English c? (“cow”), from Proto-West Germanic *k?, from Proto-Germanic *k?z (“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *g??ws (“cow”).

Cognate with Sanskrit ?? (go), Ancient Greek ???? (boûs), Persian ???? (g?v)), Latvian govs (“cow”), Proto-Slavic *gov?do (Serbo-Croatian govedo, Russian ???????? (govjadina) ("beef")), Scots coo (“cow”), North Frisian ko, kø (“cow”), West Frisian ko (“cow”), Dutch koe (“cow”), Low German Koh, Koo, Kau (“cow”), German Kuh (“cow”), Swedish ko (“cow”), Norwegian ku (“cow”), Icelandic kýr (“cow”), Latin b?s (“ox, bull, cow”), Armenian ??? (kov, “cow”).

The plural kine is from Middle English kyne, kyn, kuin, kiin, kien (“cows”), either a double plural of Middle English ky, kye (“cows”), equivalent to modern kye +? -en, or inherited from Old English c?na (“cows', of cows”), genitive plural of c? (“cow”).

Noun

cow (plural cows or cattle or kine) (see usage notes)

1. (properly) An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.

2. (formerly inexact but now common) Any member of the species Bos taurus regardless of sex or age, including bulls and calves.
3. (uncommon) Beef: the meat of cattle as food.

4. (uncommon) Any bovines or bovids generally, including yaks, buffalo, etc.
5. (biology) A female member of other large species of mammal, including the bovines, moose, whales, seals, hippos, rhinos, manatees, and elephants.
6. (derogatory, Britain, Australia, informal) A woman considered unpleasant in some way, particularly one considered nasty, stupid, fat, lazy, or difficult.
   • 1933, George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, Chapter XXXII, [1]

     […] the worst insult to a woman, either in London or Paris, is "cow"; a name which might even be a compliment, for cows are among the most likeable of animals.

   • 1990, House of Cards, Season 1, Episode 2:

     Greville Preston: You've been set up, you silly cow. Now, don't let me hear any more about this unless you have absolute stand-up-in-court proof it's kosher...
     Mattie Storin: Pig.

7. (mining) A chock: a wedge or brake used to stop a machine or car.

Usage notes

The plural cows is the normal plural for multiple individuals, while cattle is used in a more collective sense. The umlaut plurals kee, kie, kine, ky and kye are archaic or dialectal, and are not in common use.

Synonyms

• (derogatory: despicable woman): bitch
• (female animal):
  • (female dolphin): dolphinet (archaic)
• (informal: anything annoyingly difficult): bastard, bitch, bugger (UK)

Antonyms

• (female domesticated ox or other bovine): bull (male, uncastrated), ox or steer (male, castrated), heifer (female, immature)

Hyponyms

• (young or little): cowlet, cowling

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: kaw
• Tok Pisin: kau
• ? Abenaki: kaoz (from cows)
• ? Maori: kau

Translations

See cow/translations § Noun.

See also

• List of sequenced animal genomes on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Probably from Old Norse kúga (“to oppress”) (whence also Norwegian and Danish kue, Swedish kuva); compare Icelandic kúfa (“to set on top”) and Faroese kúga (“to oppress”).

Verb

cow (third-person singular simple present cows, present participle cowing, simple past and past participle cowed)

1. (transitive, chiefly in the passive voice) To intimidate; to daunt the spirits or courage of.

   • To vanquish a people already cowed.

Derived terms

• cowed
• cowedly
• cowedness
• uncowed

Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

cow (plural cows)

1. (Britain, dialect) A chimney cowl.

Anagrams

• CWO, WOC

Huave

Noun

cow

1. metate (grinding stone)

Derived terms

References

• Stairs Kreger, Glenn Albert; Scharfe de Stairs, Emily Florence; Olvaries Oviedo, Proceso; Ponce Villanueva, Tereso; Comonfort Llave, Lorenzo (1981) Diccionario huave de San Mateo del Mar (Serie de vocabularios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 24)?^[2] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 88, 252

Middle English

Noun

cow

1. Alternative form of cou