calve

English

Etymology

Verb form related to calf This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɑːv/

Rhymes: -ɑːv

Homophone: carve

• IPA^(key): /kæv/

Rhymes: -æv

Verb

1. (intransitive) to give birth to a calf
2. (intransitive) to assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf
3. (transitive) to give birth to (a calf)
4. (intransitive, figuratively, especially of an ice shelf, a glacier, an ice sheet, or even an iceberg) to shed a large piece, e.g. an iceberg or a smaller block of ice (coming off an iceberg)

   The glacier was starting to calve even as we watched.

   The iceberg was starting to calve even as we watched.

5. (intransitive, figuratively, especially of an iceberg) to break off

   The sea was dangerous because of icebergs calving off the nearby glacier.

   The sea was dangerous because of ice blocks calving off the nearby iceberg.

   When an iceberg breaks off from a large ice shelf along an existing fissure, it looks like a large, flat rectangle. Typically, only 10 percent of an iceberg is visible above the water. As it calved, the iceberg may have been smooth and flat underneath, but ocean currents would have quickly changed it.

6. (transitive, figuratively, especially of an ice shelf, a glacier, an ice sheet, or even an iceberg) to shed (a large piece, e.g. an iceberg); to set loose (a mass of ice), e.g. a block of ice (coming off an iceberg)

   The glacier was starting to calve an iceberg even as we watched.

   The iceberg was starting to calve an ice block even as we watched.

Related terms

• calf
• calves

 

Translations

to give birth to a calf

• Bulgarian: отелвам се (otelvam se)
• Catalan: vedellar (ca)
• Danish: kælve (da)
• Dutch: kalven (nl)
• Finnish: vasikoida (fi), poikia (fi)
• French: vêler (fr), mettre bas (fr)
• German: kalben (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kalve (no)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: тели́ться (ru) (telítʹsja)
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: ćelić, woćelić so, ćelećić (rare)

• Swedish: kalva (sv)
• Westrobothnian: ,

to assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf

• Dutch: helpen met het kalven
• Finnish: vasikoida (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: aider le vêlage

to give birth to (a calf)

• Dutch: ter wereld brengen
• French: mettre bas (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: werfen (de)

to shed a large piece

• Danish: kælve (da)
• Dutch: afkalven (nl)
• Finnish: poikia (fi)
• French: se fragmenter, se scinder (fr), se morceler, se casser (fr), se fractionner (fr), se briser (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: kalben (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kalve (no)

to break off

• Danish: kælve (da)
• Dutch: loskomen (van) (nl)
• French: se détacher (de) (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: sich lösen (von)

to shed, set loose (a mass of ice)

• Danish: kælve (da)
• French: perdre (fr), abandonner (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} făta (ro)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} buzağılamak (tr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} bubülimotön (vo)
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} bwrw llo, ^{(please verify)} dod â llo

Anagrams

• clave

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Italian

Adjective

calve

1. (deprecated template usage) Feminine plural of adjective calvo.

Noun

calve f

1. plural of calva

Anagrams

• clave

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkal.u̯e/, [ˈkäɫ̪u̯ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkal.ve/, [ˈkälve]

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) calve

1. vocative masculine singular of calvus