freemartin

American  

[free-mahr-tn] / ˈfriˌmɑr tn /

noun

1. a female calf that is born as a twin with a male and is sterile as a result of exposure to masculinizing hormones produced by the male.

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freemartin British  

/ ˈfriːˌmɑːtɪn /

noun

1. the female of a pair of twin calves of unlike sex that is imperfectly developed and sterile, probably due to the influence of the male hormones of its twin during development in the uterus

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Etymology

Origin of freemartin

First recorded in 1675–85; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

"Hmm. Now thens. Do you know where His Vastness the Freemartin Muskish is?"

From Literature

“A heifer born with a twin bull is called a ‘freemartin’ and about 95 percent of the time she is infertile,” she said.

From Washington Times

“Most of our girls are freemartins, of course. I’m a freemartin myself.”

From Literature

Freemartin, frē′mar-tin, n. a cow-calf born as a twin with a bull-calf, usually barren.

From Project Gutenberg

To sidewalk farmers, who suppose that a ridgeling is the peak in a barn roof and a freemartin a species of swallow,*some of Gus's outbuildings and his hog runs might well give the jimjams.

From Time Magazine Archive