English Explanatory Dictionary

calve

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To give birth to a calf.
  2. To assist in a cow’s giving birth to a calf.
  3. To give birth to (a calf).
  4. To shed a large piece.
  5. To break off.
  6. To shed (a large piece); to set loose (a mass of ice).

Pronunciation

/kɑːv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-calve.wav /kæv/ /kav/

Word forms

calve calves calving calved

Etymology

From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, German kalben, Swedish kalva, Icelandic kálfa.

Related words

calf calves

Derived words

calver down-calver

Translations

Bulgarian: отелвам се Catalan: vedellar Czech: otelit se Czech: telit se Danish: kælve Dutch: kalven Dutch: ter wereld brengen Esperanto: naski bovidon Faroese: kálva Finnish: vasikoida Finnish: poikia French: vêler French: mettre bas German: kalben German: werfen Ingrian: poikiissa Ingrian: poikia Ingrian: poikihua Ingrian: poikihussa Norwegian Bokmål: kalve Norwegian Nynorsk: kalva Norwegian Nynorsk: kalve Polish: cielić się Polish: ocielić się Russian: тели́ться Upper Sorbian: ćelić Upper Sorbian: woćelić so Upper Sorbian: ćelećić Swedish: kalva Tamil: கன்றுபோடு Ottoman Turkish: بوغالامق Ottoman Turkish: كوشكلمك
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