calf

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɑːf/
• (US) enPR: kǎf, IPA^(key): /kæf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːf
• Rhymes: -æf

Etymology 1

A cow and calf

From Old English cealf, from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz (compare Dutch kalf, German Kalb, Danish kalv), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷolbʰo 'womb, animal young' (compare Ancient Greek (Hesychius) δολφός (dolphós) 'womb', Avestan garəwa [script?] 'uterus', Sanskrit गर्भ (gárbha) 'womb'), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to swell”).

Noun

calf (plural calves or calfs)

1. A young cow or bull.
2. A young elephant, seal or whale (also used of some other animals).
3. A chunk of ice broken off of a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
4. A small island, near a larger island.
5. A cabless railroad engine
6. (informal, dated) An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt.

Synonyms

• cowling

Derived terms

• bull calf
• calfskin
• heifer calf
• kill the fatted calf

Related terms

• calve

Translations

young cow or bull

• Afrikaans: kalwers pl
• Akkadian: 𒀫 (būru)
• Arabic: عجل (ar) m (ʿijl)

  Egyptian Arabic: عجل m (ʕegl)

• Armenian: հորթ (hortʿ)
• Aromanian: yitsãl
• Asturian: xatu m, xata f
• Azeri: dana (az)
• Belarusian: цяля n (cjaljá)
• Breton: leueoù (br) pl
• Bulgarian: теле (bg) n (telé)
• Burmese: နွားကလေး (nwa:găle:)
• Catalan: vedell (ca) m
• Chechen: эса (esa)
• Cherokee: ᏩᎧᎠᎩᎾ (waka agina)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小牛 (zh) (xiǎoniú), 犢 (zh), 犊 (zh) (dú)

• Coptic: ⲙⲁⲥⲉ (mase)
• Cornish: leugh
• Czech: tele (cs) n
• Danish: kalv (da) c
• Dutch: kalf (nl) n
• Egyptian: bḥz

• Eshtehardi: جینگَ m (jinga), دوگیَه f (dugiya)
• Esperanto: (♂♀) bovido, (♂) virbovido, (♀) bovidino
• Estonian: vasikas (et)
• Faroese: kálvur m
• Finnish: vasikka (fi)
• French: veau (fr) m
• Georgian: ხბო (xbo)
• German: (♂♀) Kalb (de) n, (♂) Bullenkalb n, (♀) Kuhkalb n
• Greek: μοσχάρι (el) n (moschári)
• Hebrew: עגל m (‘egel)
• Hindi: बछिया f (bachiyā)
• Hungarian: borjú (hu)
• Icelandic: kálfur (is) m
• Ido: (♂♀) bovyuno (io), (♂) bovyunulo (io), (♀) bovyunino (io)
• Irish: lao m, gamhain m
• Italian: vitello (it) m
• Japanese: 子牛 (こうし, ko-ushi)
• Jèrriais: vieau m
• Korean: 송아지 (ko) (song-aji)
• Latgalian: teļš

• Latin: vitulus, vitellus
• Latvian: teļš, telēns m
• Lithuanian: veršiukas m
• Luhya: emosi
• Luo: nyaroya
• Luxembourgish: Kallef (lb) n
• Macedonian: теле n (téle)
• Maltese: għoġol m, erħa f
• Manx: lheiy m
• Maori: kāwhe
• North Frisian: (Mooring dialect) kuulew n; (Föhr-Amrum) kualew n
• Norwegian: kalv (no) m
• Old Church Slavonic: тєльць m (telĭcĭ)
• Persian: گوساله (fa) (gusâle)
• Polish: cielę (pl) n
• Portuguese: bezerro (pt) m, terneiro (pt) m, novilho (pt) m
• Romanian: vițel (ro) m, vițea (ro) f
• Romansch: vadè m
• Russian: телёнок (ru) m (teljónok), телец (ru) m (teléc) (dated or poetic)
• Scots: cauf
• Scottish Gaelic: laogh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: теле n

  Latin: tele n

• Seri: noiiyo
• Sicilian: jencu (scn) m
• Slovak: teľa n
• Slovene: tele (sl) n
• Spanish: becerro (es) m, ternero (es) m, ternera (es) f
• Sumerian: 𒀫 (AMAR)
• Swahili: ndama (sw)
• Swedish: kalv (sv) c
• Tok Pisin: pikinini bulmakau
• Tswana: namane
• Turkish: dana (tr), buzağı (tr)
• Ukrainian: теля n (teljá)
• Venetian: vedèl (vec) m, vedèƚo m
• Vietnamese: con bê
• Volapük: (♂♀) bubül (vo), (♂) hibubül, (♀) jibubül, (unweaned ♂♀) sugabubül, (unweaned ♂) sugahibubül, (unweaned ♀) sugajibubül, (♂, obsolete) smaxol, (♀, obsolete) smakun
• Welsh: llo (cy) m
• West Frisian: keal n
• Wolof: séll wi (wo)

young elephant, seal or whale (also used of some other animals)

• Chechen: эса (esa)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 仔 (zh) (zǎi)

• Danish: unge (da) c (of an elephant, seal or whale), kalv (da) c (of other animals, e.g., moose or antelope)
• Dutch: kalf (nl) n, jong (nl) n
• Finnish: poikanen (fi)
• French: éléphanteau (fr) m, chiot (fr) m (seal calf; lit., "puppy"), blanchon (fr) m (seal calf), baleineau (fr) m (whale calf)
• German: Kalb (de) n
• Hungarian: borjú (hu), kölyök (hu)

• Maori: miha (for whales only)
• Norwegian: kalv (no) m
• Portuguese: filhote (pt) m, cria (pt) f
• Romanian: pui (ro) m
• Russian: слонёнок (ru) m (slonjónok) (elephant calf), тюленёнок (ru) m (tjulenjónok) (seal calf), китёнок (ru) m (kitjónok) (whale calf)
• Spanish: cría (es) f
• Swahili: ndama (sw)
• Swedish: kalv (sv) c
• Volapük: (♂♀ elephant) leefadül, (♂) hileefadül, (♀) jileefadül, (♂♀ whale) valütül, (♂) hivalütül, (♀) jivalütül, (♂♀ seal) fukül, (♂) hifukül, (♀) jifukül

chunk of ice broken off of a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg

• Danish: kalv (da) c
• Hungarian: jégtömb

• Norwegian: kalv (no) m
• Swahili: ndama (sw)

small island beside another one

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: kalf n
• Albanian: viç m
• Alemannic German: Chalb n
• Breton: leue (br) m

• Lithuanian: veršis
• Mongolian: тугал (tugal)
• Norwegian: kalv (no) m
• Portuguese: bezerro (pt) m, bezerra (pt) f, terneiro (pt) m, terneira f
• Sardinian: (b)igru, (b)ittellu

See also

• cow
• veal

Etymology 2

Calf of the leg

Old Norse kalfi, possibly derived from the same Germanic root as calf (“young cow”) (above).

Noun

calf (plural calves or calfs)

1. (anatomy) The back of the leg below the knee.
2. The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee.
   • 1988, Steve Holman, "Christian Conquers Columbus", Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34.

     Sure, his calves are a little weak, but the rest of his physique is so overwhelming, he should place high.

Translations

anatomy: back of the leg below the knee

• Arabic: بطة (ar) f (baṭa), رَّبْلَةُ f (rabla)

  Egyptian Arabic: سمانة f (semana)

• Aromanian: pulpã f
• Bulgarian: прасец (bg) m (prasec)
• Burmese: သလုံး (my) (thăloun:)
• Catalan: panxell (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小腿 (zh) (xiǎotuǐ)

• Corsican: zancaru m
• Czech: lýtko (cs) n
• Danish: læg c
• Dutch: kuit (nl) m
• Faroese: kálvi m
• Finnish: pohje (fi)
• French: mollet (fr) m
• Georgian: კანჭი (kanči)
• German: Wade (de) f
• Hungarian: lábikra (hu), vádli (hu)
• Italian: polpaccio (it) m
• Japanese: 脹脛 (ふくらはぎ, fukurahagi)
• Latin: sūra f

• Malay: betis
• Maltese: pexxun m
• Maori: takapū, tupehau
• Marathi: पोटरी f (poT'ri)
• Norwegian: legg (no) m
• Ottoman Turkish: بالدر (baldyr)
• Polish: łydka (pl) f
• Portuguese: panturrilha (pt) m
• Romanian: pulpă (ro) f, gambă (ro) f
• Russian: икра (ru) f (íkra)
• Scottish Gaelic: calpa m
• Shan: ၶႃ
• Slovak: lýtko n
• Spanish: pantorrilla (es) f
• Swahili: ndama (sw)
• Swedish: vad (sv) c
• Tetum: ain kabun
• Turkish: baldır (tr), buzağı (tr)
• Volapük: surad (vo)
• Xhosa: isiquluba
• ǃXóõ: gǁxáʻn

muscle in the back of the leg below the knee

• Arabic: بطن الساق f (baṭn as-saaq)
• Bulgarian: прасец (bg) m (prasec)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 腓 (zh) (féi)

• Danish: lægmuskel c
• Dutch: kuit (nl) m, kuitspier f
• Finnish: pohje (fi)
• German: Wadenmuskel m

• Hungarian: lábikra (hu), vádli (hu)
• Italian: polpaccio (it) m
• Maori: takapū
• Portuguese: tríceps sural m
• Romanian: pulpă (ro) f
• Russian: икра (ru) f (íkra)
• Scottish Gaelic: calpa m
• Swahili: ndama (sw)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: kuit n
• Breton: kof-gar (br) m kofoù-gar, kofoù-divhar pl

• Lithuanian: blauzda (lt) f
• Spanish: gemelo (es) m

Anagrams

• CLAF

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch kalf, from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kalf/

Noun

calf n (stem calv- or calver-)

1. calf

Derived terms

• Dutch: kalf

Declension

case	singular	plural
nominative	calf	calver
genitive	calves	calver
dative	calve	calver(en)
accusative	calf	calver