cow

¹

[ kou ]

noun

, plural cows, (Archaic) kine. [kahyn]

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 /

verb

1. tr to frighten or overawe, as with threats

cow

²

/ 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. till the cows come home informal.
   for a very long time; effectively for ever

Other Words From

• cow·like 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

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

Origin of cow²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have a cow, Slang. 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

In addition to the idiom beginning with cow , also see cash cow ; holy cow ; sacred cow ; till the cows come home .

Example Sentences

It is a cash cow, handed billions by TV networks and rewarding its sponsors with huge ratings and ever growing revenues.

From The Daily Beast

Nonetheless, a battle-ready J-31 could still be a cash cow, and a good way for China to make friends.

From The Daily Beast

She became vegan, “inspired by a love of puppies and a cow that winked at me on a family vacation.”

From The Daily Beast

Faith is decency… if I were a cow I would be wearing a bra.

From The Daily Beast

The original cash cow of the Murdoch newspapers was his red-top daily, The Sun.

From The Daily Beast

He had five girls by his first wife; there is no reason why this splendid cow I have picked out should not produce a dozen boys.

From Project Gutenberg

There are no chains to my prison, no steel cuffs to gall the limbs, no guards to threaten and cow me.

From Project Gutenberg

Here the pair reached the "Dun Cow" and retired to their respective quarters.

From Project Gutenberg

But here at Fort Walsh we're among a class of people that are a heap different from Texas cow-punchers.

From Project Gutenberg

And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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