calf

/kæf/

/kɑf/

Other forms: calves; calfs

The word calf can mean either a baby cow or bull, or the area of the back of your leg between your ankle and knee.

Cattle are not the only animals whose babies are called calves. You can use the word to mean a baby whale, baby elephant, camel, bison, elk, giraffe, gnu, hippopotamus, moose, ox, reindeer, rhinoceros, and yak. If a large piece of ice breaks off of a glacier or iceberg, well that's a calf too! If you want to strengthen your calves, doing heel raises while holding a calf is an interesting way to go about it.

Definitions of calf

1. noun

   young of domestic cattle
   types:

   dogie, dogy, leppy

   motherless calf in a range herd of cattle

   maverick

   an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it

   type of:

   young mammal

   any immature mammal
2. noun

   young of various large placental mammals e.g. whale or giraffe or elephant or buffalo
   type of:

   young mammal

   any immature mammal
3. noun

   fine leather from the skin of a calf
   synonyms: calfskin

   types:

   box calf

   black calfskin leather tanned with chromium salts

   type of:

   leather

   an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
4. noun

   the muscular back part of the shank
   synonyms: sura

   types:

   mid-calf

   the middle of the calf; half way between the knee and ankle

   type of:

   skeletal muscle, striated muscle

   a muscle that is connected at either or both ends to a bone and so move parts of the skeleton; a muscle that is characterized by transverse stripes