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• ewe
  ewe

  noun

  a female sheep, especially when fully mature.
• Ewe
  Ewe

  noun

  a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

ewe

¹ American  

[yoo, yoh] / ju, joʊ /

noun

ewes plural

1. a female sheep, especially when fully mature.

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Ewe ² American  

[ey-vey, ey-wey] / ˈeɪ veɪ, ˈeɪ weɪ /

noun

1. a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

2. the Kwa language spoken by the Ewe people.

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ewe ¹ British  

/ juː /

noun

1. 1. a female sheep

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ewe lamb

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Ewe ² British  

/ ˈɛwɛ /

noun

1. a member of a Negroid people of W Africa living chiefly in the forests of E Ghana, Togo, and Benin

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ewes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ewe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ēowu, ēwe; cognate with Old High German ou, ouwi, Dutch ooi, Latin ovis, Greek óïs, oîs, Sanskrit ávi

Explanation

At last, a word that means only one thing. A ewe is a female sheep. That is what a ewe is. Most people have precious few opportunities to use the word ewe. For most of us, it's most valuable as a three-letter word for crossword puzzles. For example: 1-down: a three-letter word meaning female sheep. Answer? Ewe! Also, if you're an avid Scrabble player, ewe is a good word to keep up your sleeve. That "W" can rake in some serious points if you put it on a triple-word space. Finally, punster's will enjoy using ewe in a sentence like “you and I will go see the ewe and him” — which has the two of us going to see some guy and his female sheep.

Example Sentences

The three-year-old ewe has now been enlisted for RSABI's Christmas #KeepTalking campaign to combat loneliness and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs' mental health message Are Ewe OK?.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2023

There was a point where the children had an Ewe mother and if you greet them in Ewe they'll tell you, 'Oh I don't speak Twi'.

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2019

A onetime Embraceable Ewe, the nickname given to the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders, Julie Blatty had roles on TV shows such as “Charlie’s Angels” and “CHiPs.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2017

The restaurant serves four types of sangria and beers with names like Bad Shepherd Milk Stout and Why Ewe Whining.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2017

Amari was surprised to hear the woman speak in her own Ewe language.

From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper