heifer
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heifer
First recorded before 900; Middle English hayfre, heighfer, Old English hēa(h)f(o)re; of uncertain origin; perhaps equivalent to hēah “high” + -fore (perhaps akin to Greek póris “heifer”); see also high ( def. )
Explanation
A heifer is a young cow. If you work on a farm, you might be tempted to adopt the smallest heifer as your pet, based on cuteness alone. Heifers are female cows who have not yet given birth to a calf. Farmers can raise heifers for dairy or for meat. In the 1830s, heifer, which is pronounced "HEFF-er," was first used as slang for "woman" or "girl." Since then, it took on the meaning of a female who is obese. It is very rude to single people out because of the way they look and so heifer should never be used.
Vocabulary lists containing heifer
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Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He had already lost a heifer with weak lungs and feared future reproductive problems.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
His brother, David Workman, killed in a fall off a cliff as he rode a mule in the dark in search of a lost heifer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Boyle Reservoir, a black heifer lying on her side in the dusty brown earth heaved a tiny head sticky with amniotic fluid from her birth canal.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2023
"You can isolate the cow or the heifer on the farm away from the main herd," Mr Kurtz continued.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2023
Whatever went missing in Parke County, from a handsaw to a heifer, people said the Tarboxes got it.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The team started with a group of 20 Holstein dairy heifers ranging from three to six months old, who had previous experience in the cattle chute area and with human handling.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
Back at the ranch, heifers would start calving in a month, and wildflowers would begin to bloom, a rhythm, Church said, that will always be a part of him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
"The on-farm slaughter of heavily pregnant cows or heifers identified as TB reactors is a harrowing event for all concerned," said NFU Cymru TB Focus Group Chairman Roger Lewis.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2023
The family had to clear up items from the basements in the property’s two homes in case they flooded, as well as secure their 500 or so milking cows, heifers and calves, and their feed.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
The horn and hoof showdown was less a showdown than a show: steers and heifers, sheep and goats, even dogs and cats displayed and judged in tents around the fairgrounds.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
