calve
/kɑ:v/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To give birth to a calf: Used specifically for cows, whales, and other large mammals when they give birth to their young.
- To break off or release a mass of ice: Used when a large piece of ice, such as an iceberg, separates from a glacier or ice shelf.
Usage and Examples
Verb (Giving birth):
- The dairy cow is expected to calve next month.
- Every spring, the whales return to these warm waters to calve.
Verb (Releasing ice):
- We watched in awe as the glacier began to calve, sending a massive iceberg into the sea.
- The warming climate is causing ice shelves to calve at an accelerating rate.
Advanced Usage
"Calving ground": A specific area where animals, particularly whales, regularly go to give birth.
- This coastal bay is a protected calving ground for the endangered right whales.
"Calving event": A term used in glaciology to describe the specific occurrence when an iceberg breaks off.
- Scientists monitored the glacier for the next major calving event.
Variants and Related Words
Calf (n): The young of cattle, whales, elephants, and some other large mammals. Also, a mass of ice broken off from a glacier.
- The farmer checked on the newborn calf.
- The calf of ice floated away from the glacier.
Calving (n): The process or action of giving birth (for animals) or of ice breaking away.
- The calving season for elk is in early summer.
- Glacial calving is a major contributor to sea-level rise.
Synonyms
- Give birth (to): To bear young. (More general; "calve" is specific to certain animals.)
- Break off: To separate from a larger mass. (General; "calve" is specific to ice.)
Related Phrasal Verbs
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meanings are contained within the single verb form.)
Related Idioms
(There are no common idioms that use the verb "calve" as their core component.)
Verb
- birth
- the whales calve at this time of year
- release ice
- The icebergs and glaciers calve