calf

¹ American  

[kaf, kahf] / kæf, kɑf /

noun

calves plural

1. the young of the domestic cow or other bovine animal.

2. the young of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.

3. calfskin.

4. Informal. an awkward, silly boy or man.

5. a mass of ice detached from a glacier, iceberg, or floe.

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idioms

1. kill the fatted calf, to prepare an elaborate feast in welcome or celebration.

2. in calf, (of a cow or other animal having calves) pregnant.

calf ² American  

[kaf, kahf] / kæf, kɑf /

noun

calves plural

1. the fleshy part of the back of the human leg below the knee.

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calf ¹ British  

/ kɑːf /

noun

1. the young of cattle, esp domestic cattle

2. the young of certain other mammals, such as the buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and whale

3. a large piece of floating ice detached from an iceberg, etc

4. to celebrate lavishly, esp as a welcome

5. another name for calfskin

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calf ² British  

/ kɑːf /

noun

1. the thick fleshy part of the back of the leg between the ankle and the knee

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calf More Idioms  

1. see kill the fatted calf; puppy (calf) love.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• calfless
  adjective
• calflike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• calves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of calf¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English cealf, calf; cognate with Old Saxon kalf, Old Norse kalfr, Old High German kalb, from Germanic kalboz

Origin of calf²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse kalfi

Explanation

The word calf can mean either a baby cow or bull, or the area of the back of your leg between your ankle and knee. Cattle are not the only animals whose babies are called calves. You can use the word to mean a baby whale, baby elephant, camel, bison, elk, giraffe, gnu, hippopotamus, moose, ox, reindeer, rhinoceros, and yak. If a large piece of ice breaks off of a glacier or iceberg, well that's a calf too! If you want to strengthen your calves, doing heel raises while holding a calf is an interesting way to go about it.

Example Sentences

Both made contact on the opponent's upper calf.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

Video showed Quansah’s studs colliding with Gallardo’s calf and the referee issued Quansah a red card that delighted the crowd as England’s lineup was reduced to 10 men.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

On that night, in Kansas City, Messi lunged for a ball and raked his studs on the calf of an Algerian defender.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

Rice has been managing a hamstring problem, and also took a kick on the calf against Ghana.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Somebody must kill a calf, for cheese could not be made without rennet, and rennet is the lining of a young calf’s stomach.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• shin