Definition

Noun: 1. A cow kept for milk production: A female bovine animal that is raised and maintained primarily to produce milk for human consumption or dairy products.

Usage

• The term refers specifically to the animal itself, not the act of milking or the milk product.
• It is commonly used in agricultural and farming contexts.
• It can be used literally or, less commonly, metaphorically to describe a reliable source of something valuable.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "Cash cow": This is a more common metaphorical synonym in business contexts, meaning a product, business unit, or asset that generates a steady, significant income with little maintenance. While "milk cow" can be used similarly, "cash cow" is the standard term.
  • The classic textbook remains the publisher's cash cow.

Variants and Related Words

• Dairy cow: A direct synonym for "milk cow."
• Milch cow: An older, now less common term with the same meaning.
• Heifer: A young female cow that has not yet borne a calf and therefore does not produce milk.
• Dry cow: A milk cow that is temporarily not producing milk, typically during a late stage of pregnancy.

Synonyms

• Dairy cow
• Milker
• Milch cow (archaic)

Antonyms

• Beef cattle (cattle reared for meat)
• Bull (male cattle)
• Ox (a castrated male bovine used for draft work)

Idioms and Phrases

• "To be a milk cow": To be used as a steady source of money or resources, often without fair return.
  • After winning the lottery, he found himself treated as a milk cow by distant relatives.

Noun

1. cattle that are reared for their milk