I. ˈkau̇ noun
Etymology: Middle English cou, from Old English cū; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : the mature female of cattle (genus Bos )
b. : the mature female of various usually large animals (as an elephant, whale, or moose)
2. : a domestic bovine animal regardless of sex or age
• cowy -ē adjective
[
cow 1a: 1 hoof, 2 pastern, 3 dewclaw, 4 switch, 5 hock, 6 rear udder, 7 flank, 8 thigh, 9 tail, 10 pinbone, 11 tail head, 12 thurl, 13 hip, 14 barrel, 15 ribs, 16 crops, 17 withers, 18 heart girth, 19 neck, 20 horn, 21 poll, 22 forehead, 23 bridge of nose, 24 muzzle, 25 jaw, 26 throat, 27 point of shoulder, 28 dewlap, 29 point of elbow, 30 brisket, 31 chest floor, 32 knee, 33 milk well, 34 milk vein, 35 fore udder, 36 teats, 37 rump, 38 loin
]
II. transitive verb
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish kue to subdue
Date: 1581
: to destroy the resolve or courage of
the party that Stalin had cow ed — World Press Review
also : to bring to a state or an action by intimidation — used with into
like too many Asian armies, adept at cow ing a population into feeding them — Edward Lansdale
Synonyms: see intimidate
• cowed·ly ˈkau̇(-ə)d-lē adverb