calfn.¹

Brit.

/kɑːf/, U.S.

/kæf/

Forms: Old English cealf, celf, cælf, Middle English Kentish chalf, Middle English kelf, Middle English kalf, Middle English– calf, (Middle English calffe), 1500s caulf, Kentish chawlfe, 1700s calve; (Scottish1500s–1800s cawf, 1800s cauf). Plural calves: Old English cealfru, calfru, calfur, cealfas, Middle English calveren, calvys, Middle English calfis, 1500s (Scottish) kavis, 1600s calfes, kair, Middle English– calves. (The genitive singular, esp. in combination, was frequently calves.)

Etymology: Common Germanic: Old West Saxon cealf (plural cealfru), Old Mercian cælf (plural calferu, calfur), Old Northumbrian cælf, cęlf, correspond to Old Saxon and Middle Dutch calf (Dutch kalf), Old High German chalb (Middle High German kalp, kalb-, modern German kalb) < Old Germanic *kalboz, -iz neuter. In later West Saxon the word was often masculine (plural cealfas) = Old Norse kálfr; in Gothic only the feminine kalbô (δάμαλις) = Old High German chalba, modern German kalbe female calf, is recorded.

a. The young of any bovine animal, esp. of the domestic cow. ‘Calf is applied to all young cattle until they attain one year old, when they are year-olds or yearlings' (Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 179). in calf, with calf (said of the cow): pregnant. golden calf: the idol set up by Aaron, and the similar images set up by Jeroboam; sometimes proverbially with reference to the ‘worship’ of wealth. ‘ the calves of our lips’ (a doubtful translation of a difficult Hebrew passage, in Hos. xiv. 2 where the Septuagint and Peschito have ‘fruit’) is occasionally quoted in the sense of ‘an offering of praise’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > calf > [noun]

calfa800

follower1424

bostrell1559

calfling1598

moggiec1825

bossy1844

deacon1873

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > subfamily Bovinae (bovine) > [noun] > calf

calfa800

society > faith > worship > [noun]

worthingeOE

bigengOE

worshipOE

knowledgingc1225

praising?c1225

holinessc1275

servicec1275

servingc1275

shrifta1300

anourc1330

worshippinga1333

devotion1340

blessing1382

the calves of our lipsc1384

gloryc1384

magnifyingc1384

worshipfulnessc1390

adoringc1405

divine service1415

adorationc1443

reverencingc1443

praise1447

culture1483

common servicea1500

venerationa1530

thanksgiving1533

cult1613

cultus1617

doxology1649

glorifying1748

feasting1840

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > cow > [adjective] > pregnant or near to giving birth

with calf1483

encalf1556

in-calf1556

springing1693

in calf1729

down-calving1790

coming in1839

incalving1856

a800 Corpus Gl. (O.E.T.) 2144 Vitulus, cælf; vitula, cucælf.

c1000 Ælfric Exodus xxxii. 4 Þa nam he þæt gold and get an cealf and hig cwædon Israhel þis ys þin God.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xv. 27 Þin fæder of-sloh an fæt celf [c1160 Hatton G. chalf].

c1230 Hali Meid. 37 Hire calf sukeð.

a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 60 Hit regibbeð anon ase uet kelf & idel.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1013 Kalues fleis and flures bred.

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxi[i]. 11 Many calfis has vmgifen me; fat bulles me has vmseged.

c1371 J. Wyclif Against Begging Friers (1608) 12 Priests..wenten to calveren of gold.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Hosea xiv. 3 We shuln ȝeelde the calues of our lippis [L. vitulos, Gk. καρπόν].

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6503 Þair gold in tresur gadrid þai samen, A goldin calf þar-of þai blu.

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. ix. 105 Calveren of gold.

1483 Cath. Angl. 51 With Calfe, fetosus.

15.. Wyf of Auchterm. 23 in Bann. Poems 342 Content am I To tak the pluche..So ȝe will rowll baith kavis and ky.

1534 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) Off y^e cat' of cristchurch for a chawlfe, iijs. iiijd.

1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes sig. B.ij He that hath borne a calfe, shal also beare a bull.

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. iii. sig. Gii As wise as Waltams calfe.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 114 A taile almost as long as a Calues.

1626 in W. Cramond Ann. Banff (1891) I. 55 Persons..have Kye and Kair daylie going throw ther niehtbours cornes.

1629 J. Cole Of Death 105 Before we can offer unto God with a good conscience, the calves of our lips.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 415 They..fell off From God to worship Calves .

1729 J. Swift Modest Proposal 13 Their Mares in Foal, their Cows in Calf.

1861 T. Martin tr. Horace Odes ii. v. 80 Your heifer bounding in play With the young calves.

1862 A. Hislop Prov. Scotl. 28 A wamefu's a wamefu' wer't but o' bare cauf.

b. to slip (cast) the calf: to suffer abortion; said of the cow, also (humorously) of women (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of pregnancy or birth > have or cause pregnancy or birth disorder [verb (intransitive)] > miscarry

abort1540

miscarry1560

to slip (cast) the calf1664

to slip her filly1665

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > of cattle: become diseased [verb (intransitive)] > miscarry

to slip (cast) the calf1842–71

1664 S. Pepys Diary 19 Sept. (1971) V. 275 Fraizer is so great with..all the ladies at Court, in helping to slip their calfes when there is occasion.

1842–71 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 178 A cow that suffers abortion slips her calf.

c. transferred. Applied to human beings: A stupid fellow, a dolt; sometimes a meek inoffensive person. Also as a term of endearment. Essex calf n. a nickname for a native of that county.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]

asseOE

sotc1000

beastc1225

long-ear?a1300

stock1303

buzzard1377

mis-feelinga1382

dasarta1400

stonea1400

dasiberd14..

dottlec1400

doddypoll1401

dastardc1440

dotterel1440

dullardc1440

wantwit1449

jobardc1475

nollc1475

assheada1500

mulea1500

dull-pate15..

peak1509

dulbert?a1513

doddy-patec1525

noddypolla1529

hammer-head1532

dull-head?1534

capon1542

dolt1543

blockhead1549

cod's head1549

mome1550

grout-head1551

gander1553

skit-brains?1553

blocka1556

calfa1556

tomfool1565

dunce1567

druggard1569

cobble1570

dummel1570

Essex calf1573

jolthead1573

hardhead1576

beetle-head1577

dor-head1577

groutnoll1578

grosshead1580

thickskin1582

noddyship?1589

jobbernowl1592

beetle-brain1593

Dorbel1593

oatmeal-groat1594

loggerhead1595

block-pate1598

cittern-head1598

noddypoop1598

dorbellist1599

numps1599

dor1601

stump1602

ram-head1605

look-like-a-goose1606

ruff1606

clod1607

turf1607

asinego1609

clot-poll1609

doddiea1611

druggle1611

duncecomb1612

ox-head1613

clod-polla1616

dulman1615

jolterhead1620

bullhead1624

dunderwhelpa1625

dunderhead1630

macaroona1631

clod-patea1635

clota1637

dildo1638

clot-pate1640

stupid1640

clod-head1644

stub1644

simpletonian1652

bottle-head1654

Bœotiana1657

vappe1657

lackwit1668

cudden1673

plant-animal1673

dolt-head1679

cabbage head1682

put1688

a piece of wood1691

ouphe1694

dunderpate1697

numbskull1697

leather-head1699

nocky1699

Tom Cony1699

mopus1700

bluff-head1703

clod skull1707

dunny1709

dowf1722

stupe1722

gamphrel1729

gobbin?1746

duncehead1749

half-wit1755

thick-skull1755

jackass1756

woollen-head1756

numbhead1757

beef-head1775

granny1776

stupid-head1792

stunpolla1794

timber-head1794

wether heada1796

dummy1796

noghead1800

staumrel1802

muttonhead1803

num1807

dummkopf1809

tumphya1813

cod's head and shoulders1820

stoopid1823

thick-head1824

gype1825

stob1825

stookiea1828

woodenhead1831

ning-nong1832

log-head1834

fat-head1835

dunderheadism1836

turnip1837

mudhead1838

donkey1840

stupex1843

cabbage1844

morepork1845

lubber-head1847

slowpoke1847

stupiditarian1850

pudding-head1851

cod's head and shoulders1852

putty head1853

moke1855

mullet-head1855

pothead1855

mug1857

thick1857

boodle1862

meathead1863

missing link1863

half-baked1866

lunk1867

turnip-head1869

rummy1872

pumpkin-head1876

tattie1879

chump1883

dully1883

cretin1884

lunkhead1884

mopstick1886

dumbhead1887

peanut head1891

pie-face1891

doughbakea1895

butt-head1896

pinhead1896

cheesehead1900

nyamps1900

box head1902

bonehead1903

chickenhead1903

thickwit1904

cluck1906

boob1907

John1908

mooch1910

nitwit1910

dikkop1913

goop1914

goofus1916

rumdum1916

bone dome1917

moron1917

oik1917

jabroni1919

dumb-bell1920

knob1920

goon1921

dimwit1922

ivory dome1923

stone jug1923

dingleberry1924

gimp1924

bird brain1926

jughead1926

cloth-head1927

dumb1928

gazook1928

mouldwarp1928

ding-dong1929

stupido1929

mook1930

sparrow-brain1930

knobhead1931

dip1932

drip1932

epsilon1932

bohunkus1933

Nimrod1933

dumbass1934

zombie1936

pea-brain1938

knot-head1940

schlump1941

jarhead1942

Joe Soap1943

knuckle-head1944

nong1944

lame-brain1945

gobshite1946

rock-head1947

potato head1948

jerko1949

turkey1951

momo1953

poop-head1955

a right one1958

bam1959

nong-nong1959

dickhead1960

dumbo1960

Herbert1960

lamer1961

bampot1962

dipshit1963

bamstick1965

doofus1965

dick1966

pillock1967

zipperhead1967

dipstick1968

thickie1968

poephol1969

yo-yo1970

doof1971

cockhead1972

nully1973

thicko1976

wazzock1976

motorhead1979

mouth-breather1979

no-brainer1979

jerkwad1980

woodentop1981

dickwad1983

dough ball1983

dickweed1984

bawheid1985

numpty1985

jerkweed1988

dick-sucker1989

knob-end1989

Muppet1989

dingus1997

dicksack1999

eight ball-

a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) ii. iv. sig. D.j^v You great calfe ye should haue more witte, so ye should.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 128 How now (you wanton Calfe) Art thou my Calfe?

1627 M. Drayton Nimphidia in Battaile Agincourt 119 Some silly doting brainelesse Calfe.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 113. ⁋3 I cried, like a Captivated Calf as I was.

1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth IV. 43 It prov'd an Essex Calf.

1865 Punch 20 Apr. An Essex calf of the first magnitude.

2. elliptical. Leather made from the hide or skin of a calf. (More fully calf-leather; see Compounds 1.)

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from calf-skin

calf-skin1704

calf1716

calf-leather1726

box calf1893

ooze calf1894

veal calf1895

1716 A. Pope Further Acct. E. Curll 9 As to the Report of my poor Husband's stealing a Calf, it is really groundless, for he always binds in Sheep.

1879 Printing Trades Jrnl. xxviii. 9 The material used is Calf.

1879 in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 88 Calf is..prepared by the process called by tanners ‘tawing’.

3. The young of other animals; as of deer, the elephant, the whale.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [noun] > large member of (whale) > young

suckerc1384

calfa1398

cub1600

short-head1726

stunt1726

calf-whale1829

whale-calf1867

whale-cub1885

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Proboscidea (elephants) > [noun] > elephant > young

calfa1398

foala1398

baby elephant1815

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > family Cervidae (deer) > [noun] > fawn

hind-calfa900

fawnc1369

calfa1398

hind-fawn1648

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xxx. 1178 Sche [sc. þe hynde] eteþ of þe herbe dragancia to be delyuered of hire calf þe more esiliche.

1486 Bk. St. Albans E j b Ye shall hym [a hart] a Calfe . call at the fyrst yere.

1597 Returne fr. Parnassus ii. ii. v. 887 Your Hart is the first yeare a Calfe, the second yeare a Brochet.

1726 P. Dudley in Philos. Trans. 1725 (Royal Soc.) 33 260 The Calf, or young Whale, has been found perfectly form'd in the Cow, when not above seventeen Inches long.

1859 J. E. Tennent Ceylon II. viii. vi. 397 An elephant, which had been captured by Mr. Cripps, dropped a female calf.

1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. xi. xi. §2. 155 The hounds also by their tongues indicate..the presence, if any, of a calf with the hind.

1884 R. Jefferies Red Deer iv. 63 The young of the..tall red deer are called calves.

4. sea-calf n. a popular name of the seal, esp. Calocephalus vitulinus (or Phoca vitulina).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Pinnipedia (seal, sea lion, or walrus) > [noun] > family Phocidae > seal

sealc893

sea-seala1398

seal-fishc1420

sea-veal1576

phoca1594

sea tun1601

sea-calf1616

rubb1694

swile1802

tang-fish1809

sea-pig1826

earless seal1833

phocacean1842

phocid1871

floe-flat1883

phocine1890

1616 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odyssey iv, in Whole Wks. Homer 59 In Sholes the sea-calues came.

a1711 T. Ken Hymnarium 182 in Wks. (1721) II. The Calves Marine, who on firm Ground Are wont to take a Sleep profound.

1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 161/2 The vulgar name is sea-calf, and on that account the male is called the bull, and the female the cow.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxvii. 221 Some overgrown Greenland calves..Very strange are these seal.

5. transferred. A small island lying close to a larger one. [ < Old Norse kálfr; known in English only in ‘The Calf of Man’.]

ΚΠ

1833 J. Gorton Topogr. Dict. I. 347 Calf of Man..An island, situated off the south-west extremity of the Isle of Man.

1860 H. Marryat Resid. Jutland I. vii. 91 The early North~men often named these small islands calves.

18.. M. P. Backwell Backwell's Illus. Guide Isle of Man 60 Beyond..lies the Calf of Man..The Calf..contains about 600 superficial acres of land.

6. An iceberg detached from a coast glacier; a fragment of ice detached from an iceberg or floe.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > [noun] > floe > piece detached from floe

calf1818

the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > iceberg > [noun] > detached from coast glacier

calf1818

the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > iceberg > [noun] > fragment of ice detached from

calf1818

growler1912

bergy bit1935

1818 Edinb. Rev. 30 18 The fragments of ice, which the seamen term calves.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xlii. 395 The interposition of floating fragments or calves.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xliii. 401 The ‘calves..’..are..fragments of tables..which have been forced down by pressure, and afterward..have been liberated again from the floe, and find their way upward wherever an opening permits.

Compounds

General attributive.

C1. Obvious and general.

calf-brains n.

ΚΠ

c1604 Charlemagne (1938) i. 18 Yow loue ye cubboarde wherein your calues brayns are lockt vp for breakfast.

calf-flesh n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > beef > [noun] > veal

calf-flesha1300

vealc1386

bevissa1722

staggering bob1780

bob-veal1855

a1300 Cursor Mundi 2714 He..þam fedd wit calf flesse [Trin. MS. calues flesshe].

c1425 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 661 Caro uitulina, calfflesche.

calf-guts n.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iii. 28 It is a voyce in her eares which..Calues-guts, nor the voyce of vnpaued Eunuch to boot, can neuer ame[n] d.

calf-head n.

ΚΠ

1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper iv. 74 To dress a Calf's Head Surprise.

1813 T. Moore Intercepted Lett. iii. 34 The dish..Was, what old Mother Glasse calls, ‘a calf's-head surprised’!

1823 T. Moore Fables Holy Alliance ii. 91 A Duke, of birth sublime..(Some calf-head, ugly from all time).

calf-house n.

ΚΠ

1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon Concl. 472 Calves-house, 22 feet by 16, with their pens.

1879 in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 416/2 The calf-house..should be a roomy, well-ventilated building.

calf-leather n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from calf-skin

calf-skin1704

calf1716

calf-leather1726

box calf1893

ooze calf1894

veal calf1895

1726 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (ed. 2) xxxviii. 200 Dress'd in a suit of calve's-leather cloaths.

calf-pen n.

ΚΠ

1856 Farmer's Mag. Jan. 86 Have the calf-pens opening into the cowshed for convenience of suckling.

calf-whale n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [noun] > large member of (whale) > young

suckerc1384

calfa1398

cub1600

short-head1726

stunt1726

calf-whale1829

whale-calf1867

whale-cub1885

1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer II. iii. 71 I was going to swim to the calf whale.

calf-worship n.

ΚΠ

1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine v. v. 152 Calfe-worship..continued..in the kingdome of Israel.

1860 E. B. Pusey Minor Prophets 82 He [Jeroboam] would have calf-worship to be the only worship of God.

calf-like adj. For parts of the animal the genit. calf's, calves', is now usual.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 179 Calfe-like, they my lowing follow'd.

C2. Special combinations. Also calf's-foot n., calf-skin n., calves'-snout n.

calf-bed n. a cow's matrix (dialect); also (humorous) parturition (of a cow), cf. childbed n.

ΚΠ

1819 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) III. 305 Your uncle Tom has lost a cow, in calf-bed.

Categories »

calf-bound adj. Bookbinding bound in calf (cf. 2).

calf-country n. Scottish the place of one's birth or early life.

ΚΠ

1831 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 561 That, I believe, is his calf-country.

calf-ground n. Scottish = calf-country n.

ΚΠ

1884 Illustr. London News 21 June 606/2 We'll go and take a look at my calf-ground.

† calf-haulm n. Obsolete (see quot.).

ΚΠ

1736 Compl. Family-piece iii. 417 A Cow that strains in Calving, when their Calf-haulm, Udder, or Bag, will come down and swell as much as a blown Bladder.

Categories »

calf-kill n. a heath plant ( Kalmia latifolia) injurious to cattle eating it; cf. ‘lambkill’ = K. angustifolia.

calf knee n. popular name for the malformation called genu valgum, or knock-knee.

calf-land n. = calf-country n.

calf-lea n. Scottish ‘infield ground, one year under natural grass’ (Jamieson).

ΚΠ

1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. xiii. 109 When it is only two or three years old, it is called, in some parts of the country, calf-lea.

Categories »

calf-lick n. dialect a tuft of hair on the forehead which will not lie smoothly and evenly; a cowlick, a ‘feather’.

† calf-lolly n. Obsolete a stupid calf.Apparently an isolated use.

ΚΠ

1708 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais iv. lxvii I was..a Calf-lolly, a Doddipole.

calf-love n. romantic attachment or affection between a boy and a girl.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > love affair > [noun] > romantic attachment between boy and girl

puppy love1810

love's young dream1819

calf-love1823

1823 J. Galt Entail I. xxxii. 284 I made a calf-love marriage.

1863 E. C. Gaskell Sylvia's Lovers II. 104 It's a girl's fancy—Just a kind o' calf-love—let it go by.

calf-lymph n. vaccine lymph obtained direct from the animal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > vaccine or antiserum > [noun] > vaccine > of cowpox or smallpox

variolous matter1676

vaccine lymph1799

lymph1800

vaccine1800

humanized lymph1839

pock-lymph1876

calf-lymph1884

1884 Christian World 5 June 417/4 Any doctor can procure calf-lymph for his patients.

calf ride n.

ΚΠ

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 173/2 A Calf Ride [is] a place made of Boughs..in which the Calf is kept whilst he is sucking.

calf's-teeth n. (plural) milk teeth.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > types or spec. teeth > [noun] > milk

calf's-teeth1599

fore-tooth1601

sucking-tooth1601

milk tooth1738

deciduous tooth1755

shedding tooth1799

temporary tooth1802

baby tooth1834

1599 H. Porter Pleasant Hist. Two Angrie Women of Abington sig. H3 Ere your calues teeth were out you thought it long.

calf-time n. the period of youth.

ΚΠ

1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. ix. 238 Where have you been spending your calf-time?

Categories »

calf-trundle n. dialect ‘the entrails of a calf; figurative applied to the ruffle of a shirt, or flounces of a gown’ (Halliwell).

calf-ward n. Scottish a small field or enclosure for calves.

ΚΠ

1787 R. Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xxiii, in Poems (new ed.) 62 His braw calf-ward whare gowans grew.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	calf
释义	calfn.¹ Brit. /kɑːf/, U.S. /kæf/ Forms: Old English cealf, celf, cælf, Middle English Kentish chalf, Middle English kelf, Middle English kalf, Middle English– calf, (Middle English calffe), 1500s caulf, Kentish chawlfe, 1700s calve; (Scottish1500s–1800s cawf, 1800s cauf). Plural calves: Old English cealfru, calfru, calfur, cealfas, Middle English calveren, calvys, Middle English calfis, 1500s (Scottish) kavis, 1600s calfes, kair, Middle English– calves. (The genitive singular, esp. in combination, was frequently calves.) Etymology: Common Germanic: Old West Saxon cealf (plural cealfru), Old Mercian cælf (plural calferu, calfur), Old Northumbrian cælf, cęlf, correspond to Old Saxon and Middle Dutch calf (Dutch kalf), Old High German chalb (Middle High German kalp, kalb-, modern German kalb) < Old Germanic kalboz, -iz* neuter. In later West Saxon the word was often masculine (plural cealfas) = Old Norse kálfr; in Gothic only the feminine kalbô (δάμαλις) = Old High German chalba, modern German kalbe female calf, is recorded. 1. a. The young of any bovine animal, esp. of the domestic cow. ‘Calf is applied to all young cattle until they attain one year old, when they are year-olds or yearlings' (Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 179). in calf, with calf (said of the cow): pregnant. golden calf: the idol set up by Aaron, and the similar images set up by Jeroboam; sometimes proverbially with reference to the ‘worship’ of wealth. ‘ the calves of our lips’ (a doubtful translation of a difficult Hebrew passage, in Hos. xiv. 2 where the Septuagint and Peschito have ‘fruit’) is occasionally quoted in the sense of ‘an offering of praise’. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > calf > [noun] calfa800 follower1424 bostrell1559 calfling1598 moggiec1825 bossy1844 deacon1873 the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > subfamily Bovinae (bovine) > [noun] > calf calfa800 society > faith > worship > [noun] worthingeOE bigengOE worshipOE knowledgingc1225 praising?c1225 holinessc1275 servicec1275 servingc1275 shrifta1300 anourc1330 worshippinga1333 devotion1340 blessing1382 the calves of our lipsc1384 gloryc1384 magnifyingc1384 worshipfulnessc1390 adoringc1405 divine service1415 adorationc1443 reverencingc1443 praise1447 culture1483 common servicea1500 venerationa1530 thanksgiving1533 cult1613 cultus1617 doxology1649 glorifying1748 feasting1840 the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > cow > [adjective] > pregnant or near to giving birth with calf1483 encalf1556 in-calf1556 springing1693 in calf1729 down-calving1790 coming in1839 incalving1856 a800 Corpus Gl. (O.E.T.) 2144 Vitulus, cælf; vitula, cucælf. c1000 Ælfric Exodus xxxii. 4 Þa nam he þæt gold and get an cealf and hig cwædon Israhel þis ys þin God. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xv. 27 Þin fæder of-sloh an fæt celf [c1160 Hatton G. chalf]. c1230 Hali Meid. 37 Hire calf sukeð. a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 60 Hit regibbeð anon ase uet kelf & idel. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1013 Kalues fleis and flures bred. a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxi[i]. 11 Many calfis has vmgifen me; fat bulles me has vmseged. c1371 J. Wyclif Against Begging Friers (1608) 12 Priests..wenten to calveren of gold. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Hosea xiv. 3 We shuln ȝeelde the calues of our lippis [L. vitulos, Gk. καρπόν]. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6503 Þair gold in tresur gadrid þai samen, A goldin calf þar-of þai blu. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. ix. 105 Calveren of gold. 1483 Cath. Angl. 51 With Calfe, fetosus. 15.. Wyf of Auchterm. 23 in Bann. Poems 342 Content am I To tak the pluche..So ȝe will rowll baith kavis and ky. 1534 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) Off y^e cat' of cristchurch for a chawlfe, iijs. iiijd. 1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes sig. B.ij He that hath borne a calfe, shal also beare a bull. 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. iii. sig. Gii As wise as Waltams calfe. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 114 A taile almost as long as a Calues. 1626 in W. Cramond Ann. Banff (1891) I. 55 Persons..have Kye and Kair daylie going throw ther niehtbours cornes. 1629 J. Cole Of Death 105 Before we can offer unto God with a good conscience, the calves of our lips. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 415 They..fell off From God to worship Calves . View more context for this quotation 1729 J. Swift Modest Proposal 13 Their Mares in Foal, their Cows in Calf. 1861 T. Martin tr. Horace Odes ii. v. 80 Your heifer bounding in play With the young calves. 1862 A. Hislop Prov. Scotl. 28 A wamefu's a wamefu' wer't but o' bare cauf. b. to slip (cast) the calf: to suffer abortion; said of the cow, also (humorously) of women (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of pregnancy or birth > have or cause pregnancy or birth disorder [verb (intransitive)] > miscarry abort1540 miscarry1560 to slip (cast) the calf1664 to slip her filly1665 the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > of cattle: become diseased [verb (intransitive)] > miscarry to slip (cast) the calf1842–71 1664 S. Pepys Diary 19 Sept. (1971) V. 275 Fraizer is so great with..all the ladies at Court, in helping to slip their calfes when there is occasion. 1842–71 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 178 A cow that suffers abortion slips her calf. c. transferred. Applied to human beings: A stupid fellow, a dolt; sometimes a meek inoffensive person. Also as a term of endearment. Essex calf n. a nickname for a native of that county. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] asseOE sotc1000 beastc1225 long-ear?a1300 stock1303 buzzard1377 mis-feelinga1382 dasarta1400 stonea1400 dasiberd14.. dottlec1400 doddypoll1401 dastardc1440 dotterel1440 dullardc1440 wantwit1449 jobardc1475 nollc1475 assheada1500 mulea1500 dull-pate15.. peak1509 dulbert?a1513 doddy-patec1525 noddypolla1529 hammer-head1532 dull-head?1534 capon1542 dolt1543 blockhead1549 cod's head1549 mome1550 grout-head1551 gander1553 skit-brains?1553 blocka1556 calfa1556 tomfool1565 dunce1567 druggard1569 cobble1570 dummel1570 Essex calf1573 jolthead1573 hardhead1576 beetle-head1577 dor-head1577 groutnoll1578 grosshead1580 thickskin1582 noddyship?1589 jobbernowl1592 beetle-brain1593 Dorbel1593 oatmeal-groat1594 loggerhead1595 block-pate1598 cittern-head1598 noddypoop1598 dorbellist1599 numps1599 dor1601 stump1602 ram-head1605 look-like-a-goose1606 ruff1606 clod1607 turf1607 asinego1609 clot-poll1609 doddiea1611 druggle1611 duncecomb1612 ox-head1613 clod-polla1616 dulman1615 jolterhead1620 bullhead1624 dunderwhelpa1625 dunderhead1630 macaroona1631 clod-patea1635 clota1637 dildo1638 clot-pate1640 stupid1640 clod-head1644 stub1644 simpletonian1652 bottle-head1654 Bœotiana1657 vappe1657 lackwit1668 cudden1673 plant-animal1673 dolt-head1679 cabbage head1682 put1688 a piece of wood1691 ouphe1694 dunderpate1697 numbskull1697 leather-head1699 nocky1699 Tom Cony1699 mopus1700 bluff-head1703 clod skull1707 dunny1709 dowf1722 stupe1722 gamphrel1729 gobbin?1746 duncehead1749 half-wit1755 thick-skull1755 jackass1756 woollen-head1756 numbhead1757 beef-head1775 granny1776 stupid-head1792 stunpolla1794 timber-head1794 wether heada1796 dummy1796 noghead1800 staumrel1802 muttonhead1803 num1807 dummkopf1809 tumphya1813 cod's head and shoulders1820 stoopid1823 thick-head1824 gype1825 stob1825 stookiea1828 woodenhead1831 ning-nong1832 log-head1834 fat-head1835 dunderheadism1836 turnip1837 mudhead1838 donkey1840 stupex1843 cabbage1844 morepork1845 lubber-head1847 slowpoke1847 stupiditarian1850 pudding-head1851 cod's head and shoulders1852 putty head1853 moke1855 mullet-head1855 pothead1855 mug1857 thick1857 boodle1862 meathead1863 missing link1863 half-baked1866 lunk1867 turnip-head1869 rummy1872 pumpkin-head1876 tattie1879 chump1883 dully1883 cretin1884 lunkhead1884 mopstick1886 dumbhead1887 peanut head1891 pie-face1891 doughbakea1895 butt-head1896 pinhead1896 cheesehead1900 nyamps1900 box head1902 bonehead1903 chickenhead1903 thickwit1904 cluck1906 boob1907 John1908 mooch1910 nitwit1910 dikkop1913 goop1914 goofus1916 rumdum1916 bone dome1917 moron1917 oik1917 jabroni1919 dumb-bell1920 knob1920 goon1921 dimwit1922 ivory dome1923 stone jug1923 dingleberry1924 gimp1924 bird brain1926 jughead1926 cloth-head1927 dumb1928 gazook1928 mouldwarp1928 ding-dong1929 stupido1929 mook1930 sparrow-brain1930 knobhead1931 dip1932 drip1932 epsilon1932 bohunkus1933 Nimrod1933 dumbass1934 zombie1936 pea-brain1938 knot-head1940 schlump1941 jarhead1942 Joe Soap1943 knuckle-head1944 nong1944 lame-brain1945 gobshite1946 rock-head1947 potato head1948 jerko1949 turkey1951 momo1953 poop-head1955 a right one1958 bam1959 nong-nong1959 dickhead1960 dumbo1960 Herbert1960 lamer1961 bampot1962 dipshit1963 bamstick1965 doofus1965 dick1966 pillock1967 zipperhead1967 dipstick1968 thickie1968 poephol1969 yo-yo1970 doof1971 cockhead1972 nully1973 thicko1976 wazzock1976 motorhead1979 mouth-breather1979 no-brainer1979 jerkwad1980 woodentop1981 dickwad1983 dough ball1983 dickweed1984 bawheid1985 numpty1985 jerkweed1988 dick-sucker1989 knob-end1989 Muppet1989 dingus1997 dicksack1999 eight ball- a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) ii. iv. sig. D.j^v You great calfe ye should haue more witte, so ye should. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 128 How now (you wanton Calfe) Art thou my Calfe? View more context for this quotation 1627 M. Drayton Nimphidia in Battaile Agincourt 119 Some silly doting brainelesse Calfe. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 113. ⁋3 I cried, like a Captivated Calf as I was. 1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth IV. 43 It prov'd an Essex Calf. 1865 Punch 20 Apr. An Essex calf of the first magnitude. 2. elliptical. Leather made from the hide or skin of a calf. (More fully calf-leather; see Compounds 1.) ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from calf-skin calf-skin1704 calf1716 calf-leather1726 box calf1893 ooze calf1894 veal calf1895 1716 A. Pope Further Acct. E. Curll 9 As to the Report of my poor Husband's stealing a Calf, it is really groundless, for he always binds in Sheep. 1879 Printing Trades Jrnl. xxviii. 9 The material used is Calf. 1879 in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 88 Calf is..prepared by the process called by tanners ‘tawing’. 3. The young of other animals; as of deer, the elephant, the whale. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [noun] > large member of (whale) > young suckerc1384 calfa1398 cub1600 short-head1726 stunt1726 calf-whale1829 whale-calf1867 whale-cub1885 the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Proboscidea (elephants) > [noun] > elephant > young calfa1398 foala1398 baby elephant1815 the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > family Cervidae (deer) > [noun] > fawn hind-calfa900 fawnc1369 calfa1398 hind-fawn1648 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xxx. 1178 Sche [sc. þe hynde] eteþ of þe herbe dragancia to be delyuered of hire calf þe more esiliche. 1486 Bk. St. Albans E j b Ye shall hym [a hart] a Calfe . call at the fyrst yere. 1597 Returne fr. Parnassus ii. ii. v. 887 Your Hart is the first yeare a Calfe, the second yeare a Brochet. 1726 P. Dudley in Philos. Trans. 1725 (Royal Soc.) 33 260 The Calf, or young Whale, has been found perfectly form'd in the Cow, when not above seventeen Inches long. 1859 J. E. Tennent Ceylon II. viii. vi. 397 An elephant, which had been captured by Mr. Cripps, dropped a female calf. 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. xi. xi. §2. 155 The hounds also by their tongues indicate..the presence, if any, of a calf with the hind. 1884 R. Jefferies Red Deer iv. 63 The young of the..tall red deer are called calves. 4. sea-calf n. a popular name of the seal, esp. Calocephalus vitulinus (or Phoca vitulina). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Pinnipedia (seal, sea lion, or walrus) > [noun] > family Phocidae > seal sealc893 sea-seala1398 seal-fishc1420 sea-veal1576 phoca1594 sea tun1601 sea-calf1616 rubb1694 swile1802 tang-fish1809 sea-pig1826 earless seal1833 phocacean1842 phocid1871 floe-flat1883 phocine1890 1616 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odyssey iv, in Whole Wks. Homer 59 In Sholes the sea-calues came. a1711 T. Ken Hymnarium 182 in Wks. (1721) II. The Calves Marine, who on firm Ground Are wont to take a Sleep profound. 1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 161/2 The vulgar name is sea-calf, and on that account the male is called the bull, and the female the cow. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxvii. 221 Some overgrown Greenland calves..Very strange are these seal. 5. transferred. A small island lying close to a larger one. [ < Old Norse kálfr; known in English only in ‘The Calf of Man’.] ΚΠ 1833 J. Gorton Topogr. Dict. I. 347 Calf of Man..An island, situated off the south-west extremity of the Isle of Man. 1860 H. Marryat Resid. Jutland I. vii. 91 The early North~men often named these small islands calves. 18.. M. P. Backwell Backwell's Illus. Guide Isle of Man 60 Beyond..lies the Calf of Man..The Calf..contains about 600 superficial acres of land. 6. An iceberg detached from a coast glacier; a fragment of ice detached from an iceberg or floe. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > [noun] > floe > piece detached from floe calf1818 the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > iceberg > [noun] > detached from coast glacier calf1818 the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > iceberg > [noun] > fragment of ice detached from calf1818 growler1912 bergy bit1935 1818 Edinb. Rev. 30 18 The fragments of ice, which the seamen term calves. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xlii. 395 The interposition of floating fragments or calves. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xliii. 401 The ‘calves..’..are..fragments of tables..which have been forced down by pressure, and afterward..have been liberated again from the floe, and find their way upward wherever an opening permits. Compounds General attributive. C1. Obvious and general. a. calf-brains n. ΚΠ c1604 Charlemagne (1938) i. 18 Yow loue ye cubboarde wherein your calues brayns are lockt vp for breakfast. calf-flesh n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > beef > [noun] > veal calf-flesha1300 vealc1386 bevissa1722 staggering bob1780 bob-veal1855 a1300 Cursor Mundi 2714 He..þam fedd wit calf flesse [Trin. MS. calues flesshe]. c1425 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 661 Caro uitulina, calfflesche. calf-guts n. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iii. 28 It is a voyce in her eares which..Calues-guts, nor the voyce of vnpaued Eunuch to boot, can neuer ame[n] d. View more context for this quotation calf-head n. ΚΠ 1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper iv. 74 To dress a Calf's Head Surprise. 1813 T. Moore Intercepted Lett. iii. 34 The dish..Was, what old Mother Glasse calls, ‘a calf's-head surprised’! 1823 T. Moore Fables Holy Alliance ii. 91 A Duke, of birth sublime..(Some calf-head, ugly from all time). calf-house n. ΚΠ 1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon Concl. 472 Calves-house, 22 feet by 16, with their pens. 1879 in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 416/2 The calf-house..should be a roomy, well-ventilated building. calf-leather n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from calf-skin calf-skin1704 calf1716 calf-leather1726 box calf1893 ooze calf1894 veal calf1895 1726 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (ed. 2) xxxviii. 200 Dress'd in a suit of calve's-leather cloaths. calf-pen n. ΚΠ 1856 Farmer's Mag. Jan. 86 Have the calf-pens opening into the cowshed for convenience of suckling. calf-whale n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [noun] > large member of (whale) > young suckerc1384 calfa1398 cub1600 short-head1726 stunt1726 calf-whale1829 whale-calf1867 whale-cub1885 1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer II. iii. 71 I was going to swim to the calf whale. calf-worship n. ΚΠ 1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine v. v. 152 Calfe-worship..continued..in the kingdome of Israel. 1860 E. B. Pusey Minor Prophets 82 He [Jeroboam] would have calf-worship to be the only worship of God. b. calf-like adj. For parts of the animal the genit. calf's, calves', is now usual. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 179 Calfe-like, they my lowing follow'd. View more context for this quotation C2. Special combinations. Also calf's-foot n., calf-skin n., calves'-snout n. calf-bed n. a cow's matrix (dialect); also (humorous) parturition (of a cow), cf. childbed n. ΚΠ 1819 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) III. 305 Your uncle Tom has lost a cow, in calf-bed. Categories » calf-bound adj. Bookbinding bound in calf (cf. 2). calf-country n. Scottish the place of one's birth or early life. ΚΠ 1831 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 561 That, I believe, is his calf-country. calf-ground n. Scottish = calf-country n. ΚΠ 1884 Illustr. London News 21 June 606/2 We'll go and take a look at my calf-ground. † calf-haulm n. Obsolete (see quot.). ΚΠ 1736 Compl. Family-piece iii. 417 A Cow that strains in Calving, when their Calf-haulm, Udder, or Bag, will come down and swell as much as a blown Bladder. Categories » calf-kill n. a heath plant ( Kalmia latifolia) injurious to cattle eating it; cf. ‘lambkill’ = K. angustifolia. calf knee n. popular name for the malformation called genu valgum, or knock-knee. calf-land n. = calf-country n. calf-lea n. Scottish ‘infield ground, one year under natural grass’ (Jamieson). ΚΠ 1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. xiii. 109 When it is only two or three years old, it is called, in some parts of the country, calf-lea. Categories » calf-lick n. dialect a tuft of hair on the forehead which will not lie smoothly and evenly; a cowlick, a ‘feather’. † calf-lolly n. Obsolete a stupid calf.Apparently an isolated use. ΚΠ 1708 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais iv. lxvii I was..a Calf-lolly, a Doddipole. calf-love n. romantic attachment or affection between a boy and a girl. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > love affair > [noun] > romantic attachment between boy and girl puppy love1810 love's young dream1819 calf-love1823 1823 J. Galt Entail I. xxxii. 284 I made a calf-love marriage. 1863 E. C. Gaskell Sylvia's Lovers II. 104 It's a girl's fancy—Just a kind o' calf-love—let it go by. calf-lymph n. vaccine lymph obtained direct from the animal. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > vaccine or antiserum > [noun] > vaccine > of cowpox or smallpox variolous matter1676 vaccine lymph1799 lymph1800 vaccine1800 humanized lymph1839 pock-lymph1876 calf-lymph1884 1884 Christian World 5 June 417/4 Any doctor can procure calf-lymph for his patients. calf ride n. ΚΠ 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 173/2 A Calf Ride [is] a place made of Boughs..in which the Calf is kept whilst he is sucking. calf's-teeth n. (plural) milk teeth. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > types or spec. teeth > [noun] > milk calf's-teeth1599 fore-tooth1601 sucking-tooth1601 milk tooth1738 deciduous tooth1755 shedding tooth1799 temporary tooth1802 baby tooth1834 1599 H. Porter Pleasant Hist. Two Angrie Women of Abington sig. H3 Ere your calues teeth were out you thought it long. calf-time n. the period of youth. ΚΠ 1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. ix. 238 Where have you been spending your calf-time? Categories » calf-trundle n. dialect ‘the entrails of a calf; figurative applied to the ruffle of a shirt, or flounces of a gown’ (Halliwell). calf-ward n. Scottish a small field or enclosure for calves. ΚΠ 1787 R. Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xxiii, in Poems (new ed.) 62 His braw calf-ward whare gowans grew. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2022). calfn.² Brit. /kɑːf/, U.S. /kæf/ Forms: Also Middle English caalf, Middle English–1600s calfe, 1600s calue. Origin: Apparently a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: Norse kálfi. Etymology: apparently < Old Norse kálfi of unknown origin; adoption < Irish, Gaelic calpa leg, calf of the leg, has been conjectured. 1. a. The fleshy hinder part of the shank of the leg, formed by the bellies of muscles which move the foot. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > lower leg > [noun] > calf sparlirec1000 calfc1325 brawna1382 c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in T. Wright Voc. 148 La jambe, the caalf. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 594 Ful longe weere hise legges and ful leene Ylik a staf. ther was no calf yseene. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 58 Calfe of a legge, sura. c1450 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 678 Hic musculus, the calfe of the lege. ?1541 R. Copland Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens ii. sig. Kiv The calfe ouer the leg mouyng the fote and ancle. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 633 Long. His Legge is too bigge for Hectors. Duman. More Calfe certaine. View more context for this quotation 1794 E. Darwin Zoonomia I. 47 The contraction of the calf of the leg in the cramp. 1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxxvii. 329 A handsome person and calves. b. transferred. The corresponding part of a stocking. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and feet > [noun] > stocking > parts of > other shanka1547 heelc1571 heeling1591 stocking-sole1607 scogger1615 calfa1658 stocking top1664 seama1825 rig1838 ladder-stop1931 a1658 J. Cleveland Petitionary Poem in Wks. (1687) 327 My Stocking-calves..Are paradiz'd as naked as my Nock. 1781 R. B. Sheridan Trip to Scarborough i. ii The calves of these stockings are thickened a little too much. 2. Applied to the corresponding part of the arm containing the belly of the triceps muscle. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > arm > [noun] > upper arm brachium1731 calf1860 1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner (1887) 33 The triceps..furnishes the calf of the upper arm. 3. calf-length adj. (of a garment boots, etc.) reaching down to, or up to, the calf of the leg. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > of specific length foot-sideOE sideOE long-side1575 sidelong1575 nock-shorn1632 talarian1671 three-quarter1713 overknee1831 talaric1853 high water1856 ankle-length1876 long1882 hip-length1893 knee-length1895 thigh-length1895 fingertip1920 mid-calf1931 wrist-length1935 floor-length1939 cropped1954 waltz-length1958 two-thirds1963 calf-length1965 midi1968 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai ix. 143 Turning up..in a calf-length white motoring coat. 1967 Harper's Bazaar Sept. 60/1 New calf-length skirt for the country. 1968 Ottawa Jrnl. 24 June 17/5 Sue Ellen..started down the aisle in white calf-length boots. 1969 J. Gardner Founder Member vii. 115 A pair of heavy calf-length stockings. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.¹a800n.²c1325
随便看	by straik by strength by strength by by strength of by strifes by sty and by street by sty and street by subscription by substitute butt-end butt-ended butt-ending butt-face butt-faced butt-fuck butt-fucker butt-fucking butt-head butt-headed butt-hole butt-howel butt-in butt-iner butt-keeping butt-kicking

calfn.1

Compounds

calfn.2

calfn.¹

calfn.²