Definition

1. Noun:
   • Plural form of "ox": "Oxen" is the plural noun for "ox," which is a large, domesticated bovine animal, typically a castrated male, used historically as a draft animal for pulling plows or carts.
   • A group of such animals: The word can refer to a team or group of these animals working together.

Usage and Examples

• As the plural of "ox":
  • The farmer owns two oxen. (This indicates the farmer owns two individual animals of the type "ox".)
  • Oxen were essential for farming before the invention of tractors.
• Referring to a group:
  • A team of oxen pulled the heavy wagon.

Advanced Usage

• Archaic/Historical Context: The word "oxen" is strongly associated with historical, agricultural, and biblical contexts. Its use in modern English is largely specific to these contexts or formal writing.
  • "And there came seven years of great plenty... and he gathered up all the food... and laid up the food in the cities... And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come... And the famine was over all the face of the earth... And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands." (The term "kine," an archaic plural for cows, is related but distinct from "oxen.")

Variants and Related Words

• Ox (n, singular): The singular form. A large bovine animal, especially a castrated male used for work.
• Cattle (n, plural): A more general term for domesticated bovine animals, which includes cows, bulls, steers, and oxen. "Oxen" is a specific type of cattle.
• Bovine (adj/n): Relating to or resembling cattle; a member of the cattle family.
• Draft animal (n): An animal used for pulling heavy loads (e.g., oxen, horses).

Synonyms

• Steers (specifically when referring to castrated male cattle, though "steer" is a more modern term).
• Draft cattle: A descriptive synonym emphasizing their working function.
• Neat (archaic): An old term for bovine animals, particularly oxen.

Notes on Usage

• Irregular Plural: "Oxen" is an example of an irregular plural noun in English (similar to "children" or "brethren"). The standard "-s" or "-es" plural rule does not apply.
• Specificity: While "cattle" is a general collective term, "oxen" specifically refers to the animals in their role as trained draft animals, not to cattle raised primarily for meat or milk.

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