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

Explanation

At last, a word that means only one thing. A ewe is a female sheep. That is what a ewe is. Most people have precious few opportunities to use the word ewe. For most of us, it's most valuable as a three-letter word for crossword puzzles. For example: 1-down: a three-letter word meaning female sheep. Answer? Ewe! Also, if you're an avid Scrabble player, ewe is a good word to keep up your sleeve. That "W" can rake in some serious points if you put it on a triple-word space. Finally, punster's will enjoy using ewe in a sentence like “you and I will go see the ewe and him” — which has the two of us going to see some guy and his female sheep.

Example Sentences

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

He estimates more than 4,500 sheep have gone missing in the last decade and with each ewe worth roughly £120, that is more than £500,000 worth of livestock, he says.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025

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

A ewe that was dubbed Britain's loneliest sheep has been rescued from a remote shore in the Scottish Highlands.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2023

I glance down into the water, seeing myself, my hair a bird’s nest, bandage across half my head, dirtier than an old ewe.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness