cow¹ /kow/

1. The female of the bovine animals
2. The female of certain other animals, such as the elk, elephant, whale, etc
3. An ugly, ungainly, slovenly or objectionable woman (offensive sl)
4. An objectionable or rather despicable person or thing (Aust sl)
5. A trying situation or occurrence (usu a fair cow) (Aust sl)

cowˈish adjective

1. Like a cow
2. Cowardly (Shakespeare)

cowˈbane noun

The water hemlock (Cicuta virosa or other species), often fatal to cattle

cowˈbell noun

1. A bell for a cow's neck
2. A similar bell, with the clapper removed, used as a percussion instrument

cowˈberry noun

The red whortleberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

cowˈbird or cow blackbird noun

An American bird (genus Molothrus) of the family Icteridae, that accompanies cattle, and drops its eggs into other birds' nests

cowˈboy noun

1. A man who has the charge of cattle on a ranch (N American)
2. Any rather rough male character in stories, etc of the old American West, such as a gunfighter or a man involved in fighting Indians
3. A rodeo performer (N American)
4. A young inexperienced lorry-driver, or anyone who drives an unsafe or overloaded lorry (slang)
5. A person who behaves recklessly or irresponsibly (slang)
6. A derogatory term for an often inadequately qualified or slapdash person providing inferior services or shoddy workmanship for a quick profit (informal)

1. Relating to or appropriate for cowboys
2. (of a business, tradesman, etc) providing slapdash and inferior work (informal)

cowboy boots plural noun

High-heeled boots, usu with ornamental stitching, etc, worn by, or reminiscent of styles worn by, cowboys and ranchers

cowˈ-calf noun

A female calf

cowˈcatcher noun (N American)

An apparatus on the front of a railway engine to throw off obstacles

cowˈ-chervil, cowˈ-parsley or cowˈ-weed noun

Wild chervil

cow cocky see under cockatoo

cow college noun (US sl)

A college in a remote rural area

cowˈ-dung noun

Cattle excrement

cowˈfeeder noun

1. A dairyman
2. A device for dispensing feed to cattle

cowˈfish noun

1. A coffer-fish or trunk-fish (with cowlike head)
2. A manatee
3. Any small cetacean

cowˈgirl noun

A young woman who dresses like and does the work of a cowboy

cowˈgrass noun

1. Perennial red clover
2. Zigzag clover

cowˈhand noun

A person who has charge of or assists with cattle

cowˈheel noun

The foot of an ox which can be stewed to a jelly

cowˈherb noun

A European flowering plant (Saponaria vaccaria), related to the carnation

cowˈherd noun

1. A person who herds cows
2. See also separate entry cowheard

cowˈhide noun

1. The hide of a cow
2. The hide of a cow made into leather
3. A coarse whip made of twisted strips of cowhide

transitive verb

To whip with a cowhide

cowˈhouse noun

A building in which cows are stalled, a byre

cowˈ-leech noun (obsolete)

A cow-doctor

cowˈlick noun

A tuft of turned-up hair on the forehead (also cow's lick)

cowˈman noun

1. A man who tends cows
2. A man who owns a cattle ranch (US)

cow-parsley see cow-chervil above.

cow parsnip noun

An umbelliferous plant, hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) used as fodder

cowˈpat noun

A roundish lump of cow-dung

cowˈpea noun

A leguminous plant (Vigna sinensis) indigenous to Asia but cultivated in other parts of the world and used like French beans

cowˈ-pilot noun

A West Indian demoiselle fish, said to accompany the cowfish

cowˈ-plant noun

An asclepiadaceous plant of Sri Lanka (Gymnema lactiferum) with a milky juice

cowˈpoke noun (US informal)

A cowboy

cowˈpox noun

An infection similar to smallpox caused by the Vaccinia virus, and usu affecting cows (the cowpox virus was found to confer immunity to smallpox and was used in the vaccination programme to eradicate smallpox)

cowˈpuncher noun (US informal)

1. A cowboy
2. A herder of cows

cow's arse noun (vulgar sl)

A mess, botched job, etc

cow shark noun

Any primitive shark of the family Hexanchidae, having six or seven gill slits

cowˈshed noun

A cowhouse

cow's lick see cowlick above.

cowˈtree noun

A S American tree (Brosimum galactodendron) of the family Moraceae, that produces a nourishing fluid resembling milk

cow-weed see cow-chervil above.

cowˈ-wheat noun

A yellow-flowered scrophulariaceous plant (genus Melampyrum), with seeds somewhat like grains of wheat

till the cows come home

For a long time of unforeseeable duration

cow² /kow/

1. To subdue the spirit of
2. To keep under

cowed adjective

Abjectly depressed or intimidated

cow³ or kow /kow/ (Scot)

A branch, bunch of twigs, besom

cow⁴ /kow/ (Dickens)

A chimney-cowl

• findon haddock
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