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• ewe
  ewe

  noun

  a female sheep, especially when fully mature.
• Ewe
  Ewe

  noun

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

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

The river Nevis in western Scotland registered its lowest May flow since records began in 1983, while the Ewe had its second lowest since 1971.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2023

There was a point where the children had an Ewe mother and if you greet them in Ewe they'll tell you, 'Oh I don't speak Twi'.

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2019

A onetime Embraceable Ewe, the nickname given to the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders, Julie Blatty had roles on TV shows such as “Charlie’s Angels” and “CHiPs.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2017

The restaurant serves four types of sangria and beers with names like Bad Shepherd Milk Stout and Why Ewe Whining.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2017

Amari was surprised to hear the woman speak in her own Ewe language.

From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper