tup

/tʌp/

Thân thiện

A farmer checks on his tup in the field.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An uncastrated adult male sheep; a ram: "tup" specifically refers to an intact male sheep kept primarily for breeding purposes. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • A heavy metal head or hammer: In mechanical contexts, "tup" can refer to the striking mass or ram of a forging hammer or pile driver.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Animal):
  • The farmer brought in a new tup to improve the flock's genetics.
  • During mating season, the tup is separated from the ewes.
• Noun (Mechanical):
  • The machine's tup delivers the force needed to shape the metal.
  • The pile driver's tup slammed into the beam.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Regional Usage: The term "tup" is chiefly British. In American English, "ram" is the more common term for the animal.
• Verb Form (rare/archaic): As a verb, "to tup" means for a male sheep to mate with a ewe. This usage is now considered specialized or archaic.
  • The ram will tup the ewes in the autumn.

Variants and Related Words

• Ram: The more general synonym for an uncastrated male sheep.
• Buck: A male goat, deer, or rabbit. Not used for sheep.
• Ewe: An adult female sheep.
• Wether: A castrated male sheep.

Synonyms

• Ram: The direct and most common synonym for the animal.
• Male sheep: A descriptive synonym.

Idioms and Phrases

• (To be) like a tup in a halter: An old British dialect phrase suggesting someone is awkward, stubborn, or struggling against restraint, akin to a powerful ram being led.

Học thuật

Noun

1. uncastrated adult male sheep
   • a British term is `tup'

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ram