ovine

[ oh-vahyn, oh-vin ]

adjective

pertaining to, of the nature of, or like sheep.

Origin of ovine

First recorded in 1670–80; from Late Latin ovīnus, equivalent to Latin ov(is) “sheep” + -īnus -ine¹

Words Nearby ovine

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

How to use ovine in a sentence

Never before in the course of a truly ovine life had Schmucke uttered such words as these.
Cousin Pons | Honore de Balzac
If we townspeople see a flock of sheep, it presents to us the same ovine face—only with some difference between old and young.
Norse Tales and Sketches | Alexander Lange Kielland
If it were necessary to use any interjection here, surely a loud ovine bah!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 389, March 1848 | Various
The "ovine expression" of this bovine animal is more pronounced in the female.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia | Frank Evers Beddard
Why say, the young sheep of God, if it was an ordinary animal of the mere ovine species that was intended?
The Round Towers of Ireland | Henry O'Brien

British Dictionary definitions for ovine

ovine

/ (ˈəʊvaɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a sheep

Origin of ovine

C19: from Late Latin ovīnus, from Latin ovis sheep

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 ovine

ovine

[ ō′vīn′ ]

Relating to or characteristic of sheep.

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