bovine

[ boh-vahyn, -vin, -veen ]
See synonyms for bovine on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus.

  2. oxlike; cowlike.

  1. stolid; dull.

noun
  1. a bovine animal.

Origin of bovine

1
1810–20; <Late Latin bovīnus of, pertaining to oxen or cows, equivalent to Latin bov- (stem of bōs) ox + -īnus-ine1

Other words from bovine

  • bo·vine·ly, adverb
  • bo·vin·i·ty [boh-vin-i-tee], /boʊˈvɪn ɪ ti/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for bovine

bovine

/ (ˈbəʊvaɪn) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Bovini (cattle), a bovid tribe including domestic cattle

  2. (of people) dull; sluggish; stolid

noun
  1. any animal belonging to the Bovini

Origin of bovine

1
C19: from Late Latin bovīnus concerning oxen or cows, from Latin bōs ox, cow

Derived forms of bovine

  • bovinely, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bovine

bovine

[ vīn′ ]


  1. Characteristic of or resembling cows or cattle.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.