A question of usage

ZRH

ZRH

(retired?) Google-F.U.
Mar 5, 2005
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In all seriousness do not fuck up this thread. This question came to mind when I was advising someone on a complex tactical situation (relationship advice). It could easily be ruined through the use of google which was not available to me at the time, so I was forced to think.

It is my request that you also do not use google (where the answer is available) but rather go with your instincts, and say what YOU think. There is no correct, or more correct answer, because it is a trick question.

Here it is:

What is the singular, gender neutral, word, in the English language, specifically referring to an animal of the bovine specie?
 
Actually just thought of this. Who cares about votes.

Cattle is a good answer. Technically it is a mass noun though. While it is the correct way to refer to a group of such animals of any number one cannot say "that cattle killed the farmer", while pointing to one specific animal.

Singular and specific.
 
w_a_w said:
singular

heifer?
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Im not doing this to be smart or anything, I just love words and it'll take forever to answer if I wait for the entire forum to reply.

A heifer not only has tits, it has never given birth. Serious. It specifically refers to one of these animals that has not given birth yet. In farmer parlance "fresh".
 
FlamingGlory said:
Im not doing this to be smart or anything, I just love words and it'll take forever to answer if I wait for the entire forum to reply.

A heifer not only has tits, it has never given birth. Serious. It specifically refers to one of these animals that has not given birth yet. In farmer parlance "fresh".
Click to expand...

I'm not too sharp on my farm linguistics and figured there was a reason chicks get called heifers, but decided to have a go at it anyway :p
 
w_a_w said:
I'm not too sharp on my farm linguistics and figured there was a reason chicks get called heifers, but decided to have a go at it anyway :p
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cattle's not singular, neither heifer nor bull are gender neutral - I really don't think such a word exists. I'm pretty interested to see if someone can come up with something
 
elpmis said:
honestly I don't think there is one
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Holy crap elpmis is right.

There some words not guessed though:

Bull is a male.
Steer or bullock is a castrated bull.
Stag is a male that has been castrated after adulthood.
Oxen are kept for draft purposes, and they are called male and female oxes.
Neat is a horned ox.
Beef is a young ox.
Cow is female.
Kine is the plural of cow.

The only sorta technical term is "cattlebeast". Though it's technically a construction. Ox is the traditional word but it now means draft animals exclusively. English simply does not have a word for such a creature.

If we dont have a word for it, does that mean it does not exist? =-O

Edit: Calf and calves are gender neutral but refer exclusively to young cattle.
 
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My first instinct is to just say "cow" but like George Costanza my first instinct is probably wrong. I'm guessing cattle is the appropriate term.


As for this tying into relationship advice...did one of your idiot friends call his girlfiend a heifer? :lol:

edit: oops, singular. cow.
 
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FlyNavy said:
My first instinct is to just say "cow" but like George Costanza my first instinct is probably wrong. I'm guessing cattle is the appropriate term.


As for this tying into relationship advice...did one of your idiot friends call his girlfiend a heifer? :lol:

edit: oops, singular. cow.
Click to expand...

Kekeke, there is no word. It's a trap!

Relationship advice... Im not sure why I started thinking of cattle. When people talk, I drift in and out. Usually thinking about guns, sex, literature, sex, food...
 
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