ovine
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ovine
First recorded in 1670–80; from Late Latin ovīnus, equivalent to Latin ov(is) “sheep” + -īnus -ine 1
Explanation
Anything ovine has to do with sheep — this is a sheep-specific word. Baa! Just as canine describes dog-like things and bovine describes cow-like things, ovine is used to describe specifically sheep-like things. A poodle with hair that resembles a sheep is kind of ovine. Someone who shears sheep gives ovine haircuts. A scientist who studies sheep knows more ovine facts than anyone else, except maybe a farmer with a lot of ovine critters on the farm.
Vocabulary lists containing ovine
A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Animal Adjectives
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This Week in Words: September 21–27, 2019
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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.
Prices rose across all meat types except ovine, with bovine meat reaching a new peak due to limited supplies in Brazil and strong Chinese demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Perhaps the two bighorn sheep were fighting over territory or food, or maybe there was some ovine slight imperceptible to human eyes.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024
The ovine spectacle will return when the sheep are brought back down again in the fall.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023
As the sheep investigate the murder, they bestow ovine motives on human activity, resulting in a wonderfully peculiar whodunit, rich with humor and whimsy.
From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2020
Australia, though so rich in this respect, does not set a better spread table before her ovine and bovine pensioners.
From An Antarctic Mystery by Hoey, Frances Cashel
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.
