cow

¹

[kou]

noun

plural

cows ,

plural

kine .

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 /

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. informal,  for a very long time; effectively for ever

cow

²

/ kaʊ /

verb

1. (tr) to frighten or overawe, as with threats

Other Word Forms

• cowlike 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

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

Origin of cow²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have a cow, 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

• cash cow
• holy cow
• sacred cow
• till the cows come home

Example Sentences

Or her Delhi architecture school days, when she was too broke for jewellery and wore "cow beads" - fat glass beads strung across cow horns, bought off herdsmen near the hostel.

From BBC

We’re pulled through the window and into the eye of the storm, where a cow spirals around like it wants to outdo the scene-stealing bovine from “Twister.”

From Los Angeles Times

“A small uptick in cow’s milk intake is, obviously, not tantamount to the calamities that have been unleashed over the last six weeks in American politics,” wrote Vox’s Marina Bolotnikova back in March.

From Salon

His parents were too poor to buy shoes for their children, so when he was a boy Cruz left school to work alongside his father, caring for cows and crops.

From Los Angeles Times

Swerving his car around the cow and into a pole wrecked Hank’s promising professional baseball career.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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