bullock

American  

[bool-uhk] / ˈbʊl ək /

noun

1. a castrated bull; steer.

2. a young bull.

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bullock British  

/ ˈbʊlək /

noun

1. a gelded bull; steer

2. archaic a bull calf

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verb

1. informal (intr) to work hard and long

Etymology

Origin of bullock

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bullok, Old English bulluc; see origin at bull ¹, -ock

Explanation

Bullock is another word for a steer or a young bull. Most bullocks are raised for meat production, although some farmers have been known to keep their favorite bullock as a pet. Bullocks are essentially young male cows, and the term usually refers to animals that have been castrated. The terminology varies a lot, though, so while some farmers and ranchers use bullock to mean "young bull," others use it to describe a youthful ox. While cows can be useful as dairy animals, bullocks are generally fattened and sold for beef.

Example Sentences

This is the moment a bullock was hoisted to safety by its legs after getting trapped in a sinkhole in County Durham.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2023

They crunch under the wheels of bullock carts, startling the oxen.

From New York Times • Oct. 10, 2019

In those days the town was much smaller than now, surrounded by expanses of flat rice and jute fields with slow shallow rivers and many bullock carts.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2019

The photo, published in 1979, showed India’s brand new state-of-the-art communications satellite being wheeled out for its launch – on a bullock cart.

From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2018

And yet there were days when Boori Ma insisted that she had come to Calcutta on a bullock cart.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri