calf

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calf¹

  • /kɑːf/ Northern England, UK, Wales
  • /kæf/ Canada, US
  • /kɐːf/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /kaf/ Ireland, Scotland
  • /kaːf/ Wales
  • /kɛəf/
  • /keɪf/ dialectal, obsolete

Sounds like caff, calf, kaf, kaph · Rhymes with -ɑːf, -æf

Where it comes from

From Middle English calf, from Anglian Old English cælf, calf (West Saxon ċealf), from Proto-West Germanic *kalb, from Proto-Germanic *kalbaz, further etymology unknown.

Cognates

* Scots caff (“calf”)

* Scots calf (“calf”)

* Scots cauf (“calf”)

* Scots cawf (“calf”)

* North Frisian Kualev (“calf”)

* North Frisian kualew (“calf”)

* North Frisian kuulew (“calf”)

* Saterland Frisian Koolich (“calf”)

* West Frisian keal (“calf”)

* German Kalb (“calf”)

* Luxembourgish Kallef (“calf”)

* Limburgish kalf (“calf”)

* Dutch kalf (“calf”)

* Vilamovian kołb (“calf”)

* Vilamovian kołp (“calf”)

* Faroese kálvur (“calf”)

* Icelandic kálfur (“calf”)

* Danish kalv (“calf”)

* Norwegian Bokmål kalv (“calf”)

* Norwegian Nynorsk kalv (“calf”)

* Swedish kalv (“calf”)

noun calves · calfs

  1. A young cow or bull of any bovid, such as domestic cattle or buffalo. And Goldenhorns calved. A great day in the wilderness, a joy and a delight. They gave her flour-wash, and Isak himself saw to it there was no stint of flour, though he had carried it all the way himself, on his back. And there lay a pretty calf, a beauty, red-flanked like her mother, and comically b
  2. Leather made of the skin of domestic calves; especially, a fine, light-coloured leather used in bookbinding. We find now, that instead of leather made from sheep, calf, goat, and pig-skins, each having, when finished, its own characteristic surface, that sheepskins are got up to look like calf, morocco, or pigskin; that calf is grained to resemble morocco or so polished and fattened as to have but little c
  3. The young of various animals, especially elephant, giraffe, reindeer, seal, or whale (also indiscriminately used of other animals).
  4. A mass of ice broken from a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg. 1915 (published), 1848 (first written), Elisha Kent Kane, Adrift in the Arctic Ice Pack Our swell ceases with this wind, and the floes seem disposed to come together again; but the days of winter have passed by, and the interposing calves prevent the apposition of the edges
  5. A small island, near a larger island. Situated in the north of the Irish Sea and to the south-west of the isle of Man, the Calf of Man is ideally placed on the bird migration routes over the western side of the British Isles. Its importance for migrating and breeding birds had been recognised long before the observatory was established
  6. A cabless railroad engine.
  7. dated, informal An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt. some silly, doating, brainless calf

Similar: bullet, cowlet, cowling, moggy

calf²

  • /kɑːf/ Northern England, UK, Wales
  • /kæf/ Canada, US
  • /kɐːf/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /kaf/ Ireland, Scotland
  • /kaːf/ Wales
  • /kɛəf/
  • /keɪf/ dialectal, obsolete

Sounds like caff, calf, kaf, kaph · Rhymes with -ɑːf, -æf

Where it comes from

From Middle English calf, kalf, from Old Norse kalfi, possibly derived from the same Germanic root as English calf (“young cow”) (above). Cognate with Icelandic kálfi (“calf of the leg”).

noun calves

  1. The back of the leg below the knee.
  2. The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee. Sure, his calves are a little weak, but the rest of his physique is so overwhelming, he should place high.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: calfskin, sura, dogie, bull, kid, veal, beef, beast, fatted, neonate, newborn, baby, boy, wheel, little, petit

noun

Similar: bullet, cowlet, cowling, moggy

Translations

Every language

noun young cow or bull

Españolbecerro, becerra, ternero, ternera, vaquilla
한국어송아지 song'aji
日本語子牛 koushi
中文小牛 xiǎoniú, 犢 /犊 dú, 牛犢 /牛犊 niúdú
हिन्दीबछड़ा bachṛā
Kiswahilindama
Portuguêsbezerro, terneiro, novilho, bezerra, terneira, novilha
Françaisveau, velle
DeutschKalb, Bullenkalb, Kuhkalb
Italianovitello
Ελληνικάμοσχάρι moschári
Românăvițel, vițea
Русскийтелёнок teljónok, теле́ц teléc
Tiếng Việtbê
العربيةعِجْل ʕijl
עבריתעגל, עֵגֶל égel

noun young deer, elephant, seal or whale (also used of some other animals)

Españolcría, cervatillo, cervatilla, ballenato, ballenata, elefantito
中文仔 zǎi
Kiswahilindama
Portuguêsfilhote, cria
Françaiséléphanteau, éléphantelle, chiot, blanchon, baleineau, baleinelle
DeutschKalb
Românăpui
Русскийслонёнок slonjónok, тюленёнок tjulenjónok, китёнок kitjónok
العربيةدَغْفَل daḡfal, حُوَار ḥuwār

noun chunk of ice broken off of a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg

Españoltémpano
Kiswahilindama

noun anatomy: back of the leg below the knee

Españolpantorrilla, chamorro, pantorra, corva, corvejón
한국어종아리 jong'ari
日本語脹脛 fukurahagi
中文腿肚子 tuǐdùzi
Kiswahilindama
Portuguêspanturrilha
Françaismollet
DeutschWade
Italianopolpaccio
Ελληνικάγάμπα gámpa
Românăpulpă, gambă
Русскийикра́ ikrá
Tiếng Việtbắp chân, bắp vế
العربيةبَطَّة baṭṭa, رَبْلَةُ rablatu
עבריתשׁוֹק

noun muscle in the back of the leg below the knee

Españolgemelo, músculo gemelo
中文腓 féi
Kiswahilindama
Portuguêstríceps sural, gémeo
DeutschWadenmuskel
Italianopolpaccio
Românăpulpă
Русскийикра́ ikrá
العربيةبَطْن اَلسَّاق baṭn as-sāq

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MLA

"calf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/calf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

calf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/calf

Chicago

"calf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/calf.

BibTeX
@misc{calf_2026,
  title = {calf},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/calf},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}