milk cow
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- cattle that are reared for their milk