cattle

cattle — a bull, a cow & a calf

a name given to the large domestic grass-eating mammal, especially cows and bulls, found all over the places where people live

dairy cattle – cows kept for their milk;

house cow – single cow (or a few, sometimes) kept in the yard of a house for the supply of milk to the people of that house;

beef cattle – bulls, calves and cows kept for their meat

male ~~ bull (ox)

female ~~ cow

baby ~~ calf

group ~~ herd, drove, drift, mob

voice ~~ moo (cows); bellow (bulls); low (both)

home ~~ (man-made) shed/cow shed; stockyard; corral (in western America); pen, cow pen (an enclosure with wooden poles all around, but without a covering above)

Special Features:

Cattle are a part of life for most people in the world.

Cattle are kept for their meat, milk and skin (hide) and/or as property. In some places in Asia, a family of five can survive keeping a single house cow!

Hindu devotees worshipping a cow

 

 

In parts of Asia, especially in India, cattle are worshipped, especially the cow, as a god or goddess or as a vehicle of a god or goddess.

The dried dung of these animals is used in domestic cooking fires, and piles of the dung are made into manure!

Note: the meat of a bull (ox) or cow is called ‘beef’; and the meat of a calf is called ‘veal’.  The other grass-eating animals, ‘goats, sheep,or deer’, are not included in “cattle” though they are kept for their milk and meat.
Language Usage: The word ‘cattle’ is both a plural noun and a mass (uncountable) noun; but there is no singular form; thus we can say ‘three cattle’ or ‘some cattle’, but not ‘one cattle’.  We can also say ‘three heads of cattle’.  When we want to use a singular to refer to one, we say ‘one cow’ or ‘one bull’, taking ‘cow’ or ‘bull’ as a common word.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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