cattle

Meaning

1. Domesticated animals of the species Bos taurus (cows, bulls, steers, oxen etc).
2. Certain other livestock, such as sheep, pigs or horses.
3. People who resemble domesticated bovine animals in behavior or destiny.
4. (obsolete) chattel
5. Used in restricted contexts to refer to the meat derived from cattle.

Synonyms

cow

🐮

livestock

cows

ox

🐂

animal

🐾

bull

kine

calf

calves

farm animal

oxen

domestic animals

stock

bullocks

beef

domestic cattle

Bos taurus

domestic fowl

etc.

bullock

flock

goods

brute

bovines

mammals

money

💸

neat

birds

beef cattle

profit

show

steer

beast

urus

water buffalo

🐃

zebu

dairy cattle

aurochs

live-stock

bos taurus

domestic cow

common ox

domestic animal

domesticated animal

Hyphenated as

cat‧tle

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkætəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: catel

Cognate with French: cheptel

Cognate with Old French: chetel

In summary

From Middle English catel, from Anglo-Norman catel (“personal property”), from Old Northern French (compare French cheptel, Old French chetel, chatel, also English chattel) from Medieval Latin capitāle, from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (whence also capital, from caput (“head”) + -alis (“-al”)). For the sense evolution, compare pecuniary and fee. Also compare Russian поголо́вье (pogolóvʹje, “total number of livestock”) from Russian голова́ (golová, “head”). Doublet of capital and chattel.