# calf

Pronunciation: US say "KAF" /kæf/; UK say "KAHF" /kɑːf/

## Noun

1. A young cow or bull, or the young of certain other large animals such as the buffalo, elephant, giraffe, seal, or whale.
   - Simple: A young cow, or the baby of some other large animals, such as an elephant or whale.
   - _A spindly calf followed the herd across the dusty paddock._
   - _The buffalo calves were branded before the spring roundup._
2. The fleshy, muscular back part of the leg below the knee.
   - Simple: The thick, soft back part of your leg between the knee and the ankle.
   - _She felt her calf tighten into a cramp during the sprint._
   - _Cyclists develop powerful calves from years of climbing hills._
3. Leather tanned from calfskin, in particular the fine, pale grade that bookbinders use.
   - Simple: Soft leather made from the skin of young cattle, often used for book covers.
   - _Each cover was wrapped in calf and tooled with an intricate border._
   - _The dealer prized the first edition for its original calf, still soft to the touch._
4. A detached mass of ice that has split off from a glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
   - Simple: A large piece of ice that has broken off a glacier or iceberg.
   - _The expedition photographed a calf the size of a building drifting from the ice front._
   - _Newly broken calves littered the fjord after the warm spell._

## Noun

5. An awkward or silly boy or young man; more generally, any foolish person. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A clumsy or foolish boy or young man.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An islet off the shore of a larger island.
- (noun) A railroad locomotive that lacks an operator's cab, typically controlled from a separate cab-equipped engine.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–5** — The word for a young cow comes from Middle English calf, from Old English cælf, and traces back to Proto-Germanic *kalbaz. It is related to German Kalb, Dutch kalf, and Swedish kalv, but its further origin is unknown.
**Meaning 2** — The word for the back of the lower leg comes from Middle English calf, from Old Norse kalfi, possibly from the same Germanic root as calf (young cow). It is related to Icelandic kálfi (calf of the leg).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/calf (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).