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

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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

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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

They applied a harmless but uncomfortable heat sensation to the calf, similar to the brief pain someone might experience when accidentally touching a hot stove.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Misiorowski delivered his most dominant performance of the playoffs, overwhelming the Rays over 5 ⅔ scoreless innings before departing with a calf cramp.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Dolphins lock Knowles comes in after missing the opening two matches with a calf injury, replacing Victor Radley, who drops to the bench.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Meanwhile, the nailed-on starter at fly-half Fin Smith will also miss training this week with a calf niggle, although his injury is not thought to be serious.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

“I understand,” said Roz as she stared at a young calf who was staring right back at her.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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

Professor Michael Huffman, a primatologist based in Japan, currently at Nagasaki University, said this particular account was "tantalising", but more evidence would be needed to prove that elephants provided bespoke medical treatment for their calves.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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

Danny cried out when the roots twisted around his calves and knees.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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