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

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

Hopeful return: Reliever Shawn Armstrong, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract last offseason, has been sidelined since July 24 with a calf strain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Imam came in for criticism during the second Test at Lord's for not batting in either innings because of a calf injury.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

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

Every time it was Daisy’s turn, Sally Gooden had a heifer calf.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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

“Roz, why do humans need so much cow’s milk?” said Lily as the other calves crowded around her.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• shin