/ kaʊ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a large animal kept on farms to produce milk or beef :
cow's milk
a herd of dairy cows (= cows kept for their milk)
—compare bull , calf , heifer
—see also cattle
2.
the female of the elephant , whale and some other large animals
—compare bull
3.
( slang , disapproving ) an offensive word for a woman :
You stupid cow!
4.
( AustralE , NZE ) an unpleasant person, thing, or situation
—see also cash cow , sacred cow
•
IDIOMS
- have a cow
- till the cows come home
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to frighten sb in order to make them obey you
SYN intimidate :
She was easily cowed by people in authority.
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun Old English cū , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koe and German Kuh , from an Indo-European root shared by Latin bos and Greek bous .
verb late 16th cent.: probably from Old Norse kúga oppress.