释义 |
calf I. \ˈka]f, -aa(ə)-, -ai-, -ȧ-, -ä-\ noun (plural calves \]vz\ ; also calfs \]fs\) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cealf; akin to Old High German kalb calf, Old Norse kālfr, Gothic kalbo, Old Norse kalfi calf of the leg, Gaulish galba fat man, Latin galla gall on a tree — more at gall (excrescence) 1. : the young of the domestic cow or of certain other larger members of the Bovidae 2. : the young of the domestic cow when past the vealer stage but not yet mature enough to be considered a beef 3. : the young of the elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, moose, whale, or various other large animals 4. plural calfs a. : the fur or skin of the young of the domestic cow b. : leather made of the skin of the calf; especially : a fine light-colored bookbinder's leather made from the the skin of a calf 5. : an awkward or silly boy or youth 6. : a small mass of ice set free from a coast glacier or from an iceberg or floe • - in calf II. noun (plural calves) Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse kalfi : the fleshy hinder part of the leg below the knee |