51Թ

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cow

1

[ kou ]

noun

plural cows, (Archaic) kine.
  1. the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.
  2. the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.
  3. Informal. a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.
  4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
    1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.
    2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.


cow

2

[ kou ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.

    Synonyms: , ,

cow

1

/ 첹ʊ /

noun

  1. the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle
  2. the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal
  3. not in technical use any domestic species of cattle
  4. informal.
    a disagreeable woman
  5. slang.
    something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )
  6. till the cows come home informal.
    for a very long time; effectively for ever
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cow

2

/ 첹ʊ /

verb

  1. tr to frighten or overawe, as with threats
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • Ƿ· adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of cow1

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, ū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse ̄, Sanskrit áḥ “ox, cow,” Latin ō “ox, cow,” Greek û “ox, cow”; bovine, gaur

Origin of cow2

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse ū “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of cow1

Old English ū; related to Old Norse ӯ, Old High German kuo, Latin ō, Greek ū, Sanskrit ŭ

Origin of cow2

C17: from Old Norse ū to oppress, related to Norwegian kue, Swedish kuva
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. have a cow, Slang. to become very angry or upset; throw a fit:

    My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.

  2. till / until the cows come home, for a long time; forever:

    You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

More idioms and phrases containing cow

In addition to the idiom beginning with cow , also see cash cow ; holy cow ; sacred cow ; till the cows come home .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Given that most domestic terrorism cases have a right-wing motivation, they must want to see more terrorism: It is useful in cowing the rest of the population.

From

Thirty-eight people in the state have been infected with the virus, most of them dairy workers who were exposed while working with infected cows or milk.

From

"When I got my first cheque for $2,000 in a month, I was like, 'Holy cow, this is gonna change my life'," he recalls.

From

"I literally walked into a conversation the other day and I heard 'cow'," says Joe, "and I was like, 'No way, we can't have a cow'."

From

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz hasn't been cowed by the embarrassing revelation that he added the editor of The Atlantic to a group chat in which top Trump administration officials shared imminent American war plans.

From

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Related 51Թs

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.

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