Etymology : Middle English cou, from Old English cu; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Pronunciation : kau
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. adult female bovine (especially one which is raised to supply milk or meat); adult female of various large mammals (i.e. elephant, whale, etc.). frighten, intimidate. a contemptible woman, a bitch; derogatory, but often used less aggressively. cow\cow\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. cowed (koud);; p. pr. & vb. n. cowing.] [cf. icel. kuga, sw. kufva to check, subdue, dan. kue. cf. cuff, v. t.] to depress with fear; to daunt the spirits or courage of; to overawe. to vanquish a people already cowed. the french king was cowed. r. green.cow \cow\, n. [prob. from same root as cow, v. t.] (mining) a wedge, or brake, to check the motion of a machine or car; a chock.cow \cow\ (kou), n. [see:
cowl a hood.] a chimney cap; a cowlcow \cow\, n.; pl. cows (kouz); old pl. kine (kīn). [oe. cu, cou, as. cū; akin to d. koe, g. kuh, ohg. kuo, icel. k&ymacr;r, dan. & sw. ko, l. bos ox, cow, gr. boy^s, skr. gō. ?223. cf. beef, bovine, bucolic, butter, nylghau.].
2. the mature female of bovine animals.
3. the female of certain large mammals, as whales, seals, etc.
4. A chimney cap; a cowl The mature female of bovine animals.
5. The female of certain large mammals, as whales, seals, etc.
6. To depress with fear; to daunt the spirits or courage of; to overawe.
7. A wedge, or brake, to check the motion of a machine or car; a chock. mature female of mammals of which the male is called `bull' female of domestic cattle: "`moo-cow' is a child's term" a large unpleasant woman.
8. 1. A cow is a large female animal that is kept on farms for its milk. People sometimes refer to male and female animals of this species as cows. Dad went out to milk the cows. a herd of cows. see also:
cattle.
9. Some female animals, including elephants and whales, are called cows. a cow elephant.
10. disapproval If someone describes a woman as a cow, they dislike her and think that she is unpleasant or stupid.
11. If someone is cowed, they are made afraid, or made to behave in a particular way because they have been frightened or badly treated. The government, far from being cowed by these threats, has vowed to continue its policy. cowing them into submission. = intimidate + cowed cowed By this time she was so cowed by the beatings that she meekly obeyed. see also:
mad cow disease, sacred cow. to frighten someone in order to make them do something cow sb into sth. In animal husbandry, the mature female of domesticated cattle. The name is also applied to the mature female of various, usually large, animals (e.g., elephant, whale, or moose), or, more broadly, to any domestic bovine animal (see:
bovid) regardless of gender or age. mad cow disease sea cow Steller's sea cow.