freemartin

[free-mahr-tn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR freemartin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

RELATED WORDS

yearling, maverick, heifer, veal, dogie

Origin of freemartin

First recorded in 1675–85; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for freemartin

freemartin

noun

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

Word Origin for freemartin

C17: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012