cowとは

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-Germanic *kūz (“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”). Cognate with Sanskrit गो (go), Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs), Persian گاو‎ (gāv)), Proto-Slavic *govędo (Serbo-Croatian govedo), 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”).

名詞

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

1. (properly) An adult female of the species Bos taurus that has calved.
2. (formerly inexact but now common) Any member of the species Bos taurus regardless of sex or age, including bulls and calves.
3. (まれに) Beef: the meat of cattle as food.
4. (まれに) Any bovines or bovids generally, including yaks, buffalo, etc.
5. (biology) A female member of other large species of mammal, including the bovines, moose, whales, seals, hippos, rhinos, manatees, and elephants.
6. (derogatory, informal) A woman considered unpleasant in some way, particularly one considered nasty, stupid, fat, lazy, or difficult.
   • 1933, George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, Chapter XXXII, [1]

     […] 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.

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

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 ky, kye and kine are archaic or dialectal, and are not in common use.

同意語

• (derogatory: despicable woman): bitch
• (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)

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 Danish かつ Norwegian 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)

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

   Con artists are not cowed by the law.

   • Shakespeare

     To vanquish a people already cowed.

派生語

• cowed
• cowedly
• cowedness
• uncowed

名詞

cow (複数形 cows)

1. (Britain, dialectal) 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.