ewe

¹ American  

[yoo, yoh] / yu, yoʊ /

noun

1. a female sheep, especially when fully mature.

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Ewe ² American  

[ey-vey, ey-wey] / ˈeɪ veɪ, ˈeɪ weɪ /

noun

1. a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

2. the Kwa language spoken by the Ewe people.

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ewe ¹ British  

/ juː /

noun

1. 1. a female sheep

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ewe lamb

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Ewe ² British  

/ ˈɛwɛ /

noun

1. a member of a Negroid people of W Africa living chiefly in the forests of E Ghana, Togo, and Benin

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family

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Etymology

Origin of ewe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ēowu, ēwe; cognate with Old High German ou, ouwi, Dutch ooi, Latin ovis, Greek óïs, oîs, Sanskrit ávi

Example Sentences

Jill Turner, from Brora, was convinced it was the same ewe she had seen about two years before and its plight quickly captured the world's attention.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

At the opposite extreme is Scotland's Soay sheep, with just 0.6% full siblings because each ewe mates with multiple rams.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

The embryos were later implanted in a ewe, resulting in a pure Marco Polo argali sheep that Schubert named “Montana Mountain King,” the documents show.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

The three-year-old ewe has now been enlisted for RSABI's Christmas #KeepTalking campaign to combat loneliness and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs' mental health message Are Ewe OK?.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2023

And yet, whenever his pain made him harden his heart against her and bid himself, “Milk the ewe you have; why pursue what shuns you?”

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton