cattle

American  

[kat-l] / ˈkæt l /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. bovine animals, especially domesticated members of the genus Bos.

2. Bible. such animals together with other domesticated quadrupeds, as horses, swine, etc.

3. Disparaging. human beings, especially in a large, unruly crowd.

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cattle British  

/ ˈkætəl /

noun

1. bovid mammals of the tribe Bovini (bovines), esp those of the genus Bos

2. Also called: domestic cattle.  any domesticated bovine mammals, esp those of the species Bos taurus (domestic ox)

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Other Word Forms

• cattleless adjective

Etymology

Origin of cattle

1175–1225; Middle English catel < Old North French: (personal) property < Medieval Latin capitāle wealth; capital ¹

Example Sentences

"There were embers falling everywhere. It was terrifying," cattle farmer Scott Purcell told ABC.

From Barron's

That 1948 John Wayne-Montgomery Clift drama, a Shakespearean clash of personalities on an epic cattle drive from Texas to Missouri, was a Hawks masterpiece and the greatest western of the Hollywood Golden Age.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wolves have since recolonized the state — a development hailed by conservationists as an ecological win but derided by many ranchers whose cattle are slaughtered by the skilled pack hunters.

From Los Angeles Times

After leaving his newborn daughter in the care of his sister Bamie, a grief-stricken Roosevelt fled to his cattle ranch in the Dakota Territory.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will predominantly be a livestock and agriculture farm and currently has five beef cattle and a small flock of sheep.

From BBC

Related Words

• herd
• oxen