cow

¹

[kou]

noun

plural

cows ,

plural

kine .

1. the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.

2. the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.

3. Informal.,  a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.

   2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.

cow

²

[kou]

verb (used with object)

1. to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.

   Synonyms: bully, scare, terrorize

cow

¹

/ kaʊ /

noun

1. the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle

2. the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal

3. (not in technical use) any domestic species of cattle

4. informal,  a disagreeable woman

5. slang,  something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )

6. informal,  for a very long time; effectively for ever

cow

²

/ kaʊ /

verb

1. (tr) to frighten or overawe, as with threats

Other Word Forms

• cowlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, cū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse kȳr, Sanskrit gáuḥ “ox, cow,” Latin bōs “ox, cow,” Greek boûs “ox, cow”; bovine, gaur

Origin of cow²

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse kūga “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

Old English cū; related to Old Norse kӯr, Old High German kuo, Latin bōs, Greek boūs, Sanskrit gāŭs

Origin of cow²

C17: from Old Norse kūga to oppress, related to Norwegian kue, Swedish kuva

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have a cow, to become very angry or upset; throw a fit.

   My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.

2. till / until the cows come home, for a long time; forever.

   You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

More idioms and phrases containing cow

• cash cow
• holy cow
• sacred cow
• till the cows come home

Example Sentences

A fence lined this part of the driveway, and behind the fence was a sprawling, rolling pasture, lush with tall grass and a few leafy trees, where a herd of cows was grazing.

Read more on Literature

Certain species such as cow parsley, yarrow and knapweed are in fact spreading, and he welcomes an influx of non-native plants and "garden escapes", such as snowdrop and buddleia.

Read more on BBC

The president’s refusal to be cowed by threatening Russian nuclear behavior is welcome.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It means switching to cleanly made electricity, clean transportation, fewer beef and dairy cows and other sources of harmful gases.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Plenty of cow patties, though, and a few patches of poison oak, which turns up often near Big Sur trails.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bludgeon 
• bully 
• daunt 
• dishearten 
• embarrass 
• faze 
• frighten 
• rattle 
• strong-arm 
• subdue 
• terrorize 
• unnerve