cowとは 意味・読み方・使い方

発音

• enPR: kou, IPA^(key): /kaʊ/
• 韻: -aʊ

語源 1

From Middle English cou, cu, from 古期英語 cū (“cow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kū, from Proto-Germanic *kūz (“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”).

Cognate with Sanskrit गो (go), Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs), Persian گاو‎ (gâv)), Latvian govs (“cow”), Proto-Slavic *govędo (Serbo-Croatian govedo, Russian говядина (govjadina) ("beef")), Scots coo (“cow”), North Frisian ko, kø (“cow”), West Frisian ko (“cow”), Dutch koe (“cow”), Low German Koh, Koo, Kau (“cow”), German Kuh (“cow”), Swedish ko (“cow”), Norwegian ku (“cow”), Icelandic kýr (“cow”), Latin bōs (“ox, bull, cow”), Armenian կով (kov, “cow”).

The plural kine is from Middle English kyne, kyn, kuin, kiin, kien (“cows”), either a double plural of Middle English ky, kye (“cows”), equivalent to modern kye +‎ -en, or inherited from 古期英語 cȳna (“cows', of cows”), genitive plural of cū (“cow”).

名詞

cow (複数形 cows または cattle または kine) (see usage notes)

2. (strictly) An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.

   Cow milk is the most common form of milk in Europe.

4. (loosely or informal) Any member of the species Bos taurus regardless of sex or age, including bulls and calves.
6. (uncommon) Beef: the meat of cattle as food.

   The only meat I eat is cow.

8. (uncommon) Any bovines or bovids generally, including yaks, buffalo, etc.
10. (biology) A female member of other large species of mammal, including the bovines, moose, whales, seals, hippos, rhinos, manatees, and elephants.
12. (derogatory, UK, Australia, informal) A woman considered unpleasant in some way, particularly one considered nasty, stupid, fat, lazy, or difficult.
    • 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXXII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:

      […] the worst insult to a woman, either in London or Paris, is "cow"; a name which might even be a compliment, for cows are among the most likeable of animals.

    • 1990, House of Cards, Season 1, Episode 2:

      Greville Preston: You've been set up, you silly cow. Now, don't let me hear any more about this unless you have absolute stand-up-in-court proof it's kosher...
      Mattie Storin: Pig.

    • 2014 December 5, Marina Hyde, “Childbirth is as awful as it is magical, thanks to our postnatal ‘care’”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

      By the time of my third, five months ago, I was a right bossy cow about what I wanted because I knew the drill. For reasons I shan’t bore you with, I got them to induce me at 39 weeks, at 10am, with the epidural going in first, and it was all a dream.

14. (mining) A chock: a wedge or brake used to stop a machine or car.

    Coordinate term: dog

15. (US, military, slang) A third-year cadet at West Point.
    • Colonel Red Reeder, West Point Second Classman

      An assistant manager, wearing the stripes of a cadet corporal, walked up to Coach Smith. Clint knew him, a Cow from B-l. What had he done to become so outstanding that the Tacs made him a corporal?

    • 2023, James E Parco, ‎David A Levy, ‎Daphne DePorres, Attitudes Aren't Free: A Call to Action (page 242)

      When I was a cow (junior) at West Point, I dated a plebe (freshman), which is considered fraternization in the cadet realm.

16. (fishing, slang) A fish that is very large for its species, such as a large striped bass or large bluefin tuna.

使用する際の注意点

• The plural cows is the normal plural for multiple individuals, while cattle is used in a more collective sense. The umlaut plurals kee, kie, kine, ky and kye are archaic or dialectal, and are not in common use.

同意語

• (derogatory: despicable woman): bitch
• (female animal):
  • (female dolphin): dolphinet (古風な用法)
• (くだけた用法: anything annoyingly difficult): bastard, bitch, bugger (英国用法)

反意語

• (female domesticated ox または other bovine): bull (male, uncastrated), ox or steer (male, castrated), heifer (female, immature)

下位語

• (young または little): cowlet, cowling

派生語

派生した語

• Sranan Tongo: kaw
• Tok Pisin: kau
• → Abenaki: kaoz (from cows)
• → Maori: kau

参考

• List of sequenced animal genomes on Wikipedia.

語源 2

Probably from Old Norse kúga (“to oppress”) (whence also Norwegian かつ Danish kue, Swedish kuva); compare Icelandic kúfa (“to set on top”) and Faroese kúga (“to oppress”).

動詞

cow (三人称単数 現在形 cows, 現在分詞 cowing, 過去形および過去分詞形 cowed)

2. (transitive, chiefly in the passive voice) To intimidate; to daunt the spirits or courage of.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:intimidate

   Con artists are not cowed by the law.

   • 1711 September 22 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, Richard Steele [et al.], “TUESDAY, September 11, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 167; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page Steele:

     To vanquish a people already cowed.

派生語

• cowed
• cowedly
• cowedness
• uncowed

名詞

cow (複数形 cows)

1. (UK, dialect) A chimney cowl.
   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers:

     Who could live to gaze from day to day on bricks and slates, who had once felt the influence of a scene like this? Who could continue to exist, where there are no cows but the cows on the chimneypots; nothing redolent of Pan but pan-tiles; […]

アナグラム

• CWO, WOC

発音

Same as cow.

語源

Initialism.

固有名詞

c.o.w.

1. California, Oregon and Washington, when discussed together as a group.