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

After cradling it the entire way home like a Faberge calf, I felt like writing a sonnet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

The carcass of a four-month-old calf, swarming with flies, lay half-devoured by hyenas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

"I'm fairly fit anyway so I've only had a little pain in my calf muscles and Achilles, but compared to what other people are going through it's no problem," he added.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

When he finally seemed to be coming out of it in late August, a left calf injury sidelined him in early September.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

“She’s weak from the blerry flies. I suppose you’ll want to baptize the baby,” Dr. van Heerden said, soaping his hands as he prepared to deliver the calf.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

And pulsing is no joke — one exercise left my calves shaking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

“It couldn’t come at a worse time, as a lot of producers will be selling their calves over the next few months.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

"Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles," said Ayres.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

I’ll stand on the blocks hidden in the toes of my satin ballet slippers, pink ribbons sewn into my calves, and rise above up in the air: magical.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• shin