calf

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English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

A cow and her calf.

From Middle English calf, kælf, kelf, from Old English cælf, ċealf; also cognate with German Kalb (“calf”), Dutch kalf (“calf”) and Danish kalv (“calf”), from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz, further etymology unknown.

Noun

calf (plural calves or (nonstandard) calfs)

  1. A young cow or bull.
  2. Leather made of the skin of the calf; especially, a fine, light-coloured leather used in bookbinding.
  3. A young deer, elephant, seal, whale or giraffe (also used of some other animals).
  4. A chunk of ice broken from a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
    • 1915 (published), 1848 (first written), Elisha Kent Kane, Adrift in the Arctic Ice Pack
      Our swell ceases with this wind, and the floes seem disposed to come together again; but the days of winter have passed by, and the interposing calves prevent the apposition of the edges
  5. A small island, near a larger island.
    the Calf of Man
  6. A cabless railroad engine.
  7. (informal, dated) An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt.
    • 1627, Michaell Drayton [i.e., Michael Drayton], “Nimphidia. The Court of Fayrie.”, in The Battaile of Agincourt. , London: A M for VVilliam Lee, , published 1631, →OCLC:
      some silly, doating, brainless calf
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English calf, kalf, from Old Norse kalfi, possibly derived from the same Germanic root as English calf (“young cow”) (above). Cognate with Icelandic kálfi (“calf of the leg”).

Noun

calf (plural calves)

  1. (anatomy) The back of the leg below the knee.
  2. The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee.
    • 1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34:
      Sure, his calves are a little weak, but the rest of his physique is so overwhelming, he should place high.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References

  1. ^ Bingham, Caleb (1808) “Improprieties in Pronunciation, common among the people of New-England”, in The Child's Companion; Being a Conciſe Spelling-book ‎, 12th edition, Boston: Manning & Loring, →OCLC, page 74.
  2. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*kalbiz-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 278

Anagrams

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch calf, from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz.

Noun

calf n

  1. calf

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

  • Dutch: kalf
  • Limburgish: kalf

Further reading

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English cælf, Anglian form of ċealf, from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

calf (plural calver(e) or calveren or calves)

  2. calf (cow that has not fully matured)
    • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Apocalips 4:7, page 118v, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
      ⁊ þe firſte beeſte .· liyk a lioun / ⁊ þe ſecounde beeſte .· lijk a calf / ⁊ þe þꝛidde beeſte .· hauynge a face as of a man / ⁊ þe fourþe beeſte .· liyk an egle fleynge
      And the first beast like a lion; and the second beast like a calf; and the third beast had a face like a human; and the fourth beast like an eagle flying.
  3. A representation of a calf; something that looks like a calf.
  4. fawn (deer that has not fully matured)
  5. (rare) Veal; the meat of calves.
Descendants
References

Etymology 2

From Old Norse kalfi.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

calf (plural calves)

  2. calf (part of the leg).
Descendants
References

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kalbaz.

Noun

calf n

  1. calf

Descendants

Further reading

  • “kalf”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English calf (“young cow”).

Noun

calf

  1. Alternative form of cauf (“calf (young cow)”)

Etymology 2

From Middle English caf, caff, kaf, kaff, alternative forms of chaf.

Noun

calf

  1. Alternative form of caff
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