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

See Examples For:

calf calves

We saw two adult whales and a calf inside the lagoon, where they’re extremely rare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

But by Christmas 2025, Dan was still feeling fatigued and struggling to lift his heel, walk, or feel his calf.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

A rare observation of a humpback whale mother remaining beside her dead calf is offering researchers a closer look at how these animals may respond to loss.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

A calf strain had kept Jung sidelined since July 21 and Eovaldi had been out since Aug. 7 with elbow inflammation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

He trained his calf, Fawn, to come when he whistled like a killdeer.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

In the 1870s, a Pend d’Oreille Indian named Walking Coyote captured a few bison calves from northern Montana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The observation adds to the small number of documented cases involving deceased calves in baleen whales.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

For all the sore glutes and calves, what lingers most is the appeal of turning this into a weekend ritual.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

The rancher is selling calves for record sums, but is not better off because he has higher costs.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Spying an empty bus shelter on the opposite side of the street, I sit on the icy metal bench and wrap my arms tight around my calves, rest my forehead on my knees.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• shin