cattle

/'kætl/

Thân thiện

A farmer herds his cattle into a green pasture at dawn.

Definition

Noun: - Domesticated bovine animals collectively: Refers to cows, bulls, and oxen as a group, raised for meat, milk, or as draft animals. The term is used regardless of the sex or age of the animals.

Usage

• The word "cattle" is a plural noun. It does not have a singular form. You cannot say "a cattle." To refer to a single animal, you use terms like "a cow," "a bull," or "an ox."
• It is commonly used with quantifiers like "head of" (e.g., "500 head of cattle") or collective terms like "herd of cattle."
• It typically refers to the animals as livestock, property, or a commodity.

Examples

• General Use:
  • The farmer raises cattle for beef production.
  • Large herds of cattle grazed on the plains.
• With Quantifiers:
  • They sold twenty head of cattle at the market.
  • The ranch manages over a thousand cattle.

Advanced Usage

• "Cattle" as a Mass Noun: While plural, it can be treated grammatically as a mass noun when referring to the group as a whole, similar to "fish" or "sheep."
  • Cattle are ruminants. (Correct, using plural verb)
  • The cattle is lowing. (Poetic/archaic; standard usage prefers plural verbs)
• Figurative Use: Can be used pejoratively to describe people perceived as mindless or herd-like.
  • The protesters were treated like cattle. (This is an idiomatic, metaphorical use.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cow (n): An adult female of cattle, especially one that has produced a calf.
• Bull (n): An adult, uncastrated male of cattle.
• Ox (n, plural: oxen): A castrated male bovine used as a draft animal.
• Calf (n, plural: calves): A young bovine animal.
• Steer (n): A castrated male bovine raised for beef.
• Heifer (n): A young female cow that has not yet borne a calf.
• Kine (n, archaic): An old plural form of "cow"; cattle.

Synonyms

• Bovines: A more scientific term for animals of the cattle family.
• Livestock: A broader term for farm animals (includes cattle, sheep, pigs, etc.).
• Herbivores (in a specific context): Emphasizes their diet, but is not specific to cattle.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Wait till the cows come home": To wait for a very long time, possibly forever.
  • You can argue till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.
• "Sacred cow": A belief, custom, or institution that is so deeply held it is considered immune from criticism or question.
  • That policy is a sacred cow in this organization; no one dares to challenge it.
• "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" (Proverb): A saying suggesting that if something valuable is given freely, there is no incentive to commit to or pay for it.

Học thuật

Noun

1. domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
   • so many head of cattle
   • wait till the cows come home
   • seven thin and ill-favored kine- Bible
   • a team of oxen

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cows
• kine
• oxen
• Bos taurus