cow
1
[ kou ]
/ kaʊ /
noun, plural cows, (Archaic) kine.
the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.
the female of various other large animals, as the elephant or whale.
Informal.
a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
- a large, obese, and slovenly woman.
- a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.
Idioms for cow
till/until the cows come home,
for a long time; forever: You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.
Origin of cow
1OTHER WORDS FROM cow
cow·like, adjectiveWords nearby cow
British Dictionary definitions for till the cows come home (1 of 2)
cow
1
/ (kaʊ) /
noun
the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle
the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal
(not in technical use)
any domestic species of cattle
informal
a disagreeable woman
Australian and NZ slang
something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow)
till the cows come home informal
for a very long time; effectively for ever
Word Origin for cow
Old English
cū; related to Old Norse
kӯr, Old High German
kuo, Latin
bōs, Greek
boūs, Sanskrit
gāŭs
British Dictionary definitions for till the cows come home (2 of 2)
cow
2
/ (kaʊ) /
verb
(tr)
to frighten or overawe, as with threats
Word Origin for cow
C17: from Old Norse
kūga to oppress, related to Norwegian
kue, Swedish
kuva
Cultural definitions for till the cows come home
till the cows come home
For a long time: “Mr. Rowland said that as far as he was concerned, the delinquent students could stay there washing blackboards till the cows came home.”
Idioms and Phrases with till the cows come home (1 of 2)
till the cows come home
Also, when the cows come home. For a long time, as in You can keep asking till the cows come home, but you still may not go bungee-jumping. This term alludes to when the cows return to the barn for milking. [Late 1500s]
Idioms and Phrases with till the cows come home (2 of 2)
cow