Home / Dictionary / Calf

Calf Common

Calf has 6 different meanings across 1 category:

Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

young of domestic cattle

"The farmer gently brushed the newborn calf to help it stand on its wobbly legs."

2

the muscular back part of the shank

"The runner felt intense pain in his calf after sprinting up the steep hill."

3

fine leather from the skin of a calf

"The new sofa was upholstered in soft, supple calf to give it a luxurious feel."

4

young of various large placental mammals e.g. whale or giraffe or elephant or buffalo

"The massive gray calf swam alongside its mother in the deep ocean."

5

A young cow or bull.

"After running up the hill, she felt a sharp cramp in her calf."

6

The back of the leg below the knee.

In plain English: A calf is either a baby cow or the back part of your lower leg below the knee.

"The baby calf ran alongside its mother after being born."

Example Sentences
"The baby calf ran alongside its mother after being born." noun
"The calf rested its head on the table after studying all afternoon." noun
"She slipped on the wet floor and bruised her calf badly." noun
"We walked to the beach where we saw several calves playing in the surf." noun
See Also
calve cow rennet glacier deacon iceberg asialofetuin ooze leather
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
young mammal skeletal muscle leather
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
dogie maverick mid-calf box calf

Origin

The word "calf" comes from Old English, where it originally meant a young cow or bull. Its roots trace back to the Proto-Germanic language, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain.

Rhyming Words
alf ralf kalf half aqualf ustalf boralf xeralf behalf seacalf midcalf newhalf by half metcalf gandalf in half sea calf mid calf bum calf fly half
Compare
Calf vs