ovine
English · Français · Italiano · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
ovine
- /ˈəʊvaɪn/ UK
- /ˈoʊˌvaɪn/ US
Rhymes with -əʊvaɪn, -oʊvaɪn
Where it comes from
The adjective is borrowed from Late Latin ovīnus (“ovine”) + English -ine (suffix with the sense ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Ovīnus is derived from Latin ovis (“sheep”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis (“sheep”), possibly from *h₂ew- (“to clothe oneself, dress; to be dressed”) in the sense of something that provides woollen clothing) + -īnus (suffix with the sense ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). By surface analysis, ove- + -ine.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
adjective more ovine · most ovine
- Of, being, pertaining to, or resembling a sheep; also, (not comparable) of an animal: from the genus Ovis. […] Dr. [Mauro] Legni reported to him a month afterward that the ovination had been successful, and that no marked differences had been observable between the vesicles produced by the ovine and those produced by the vaccine lymph. Dr. Legni added, that he had continued to propagate the ovine lymph o
-
Resembling a sheep in character; acquiescent, easily influenced, passive, or willing to follow a leader blindly.
The Patient from being Maniacl, or raging mad, became vvholly Ovine or Sheepiſh; he bleated perpetually, and chevv'd the Cud: […]
Similar: sheeplike
noun ovines
- An animal from the genus Ovis; a sheep.
- A person regarded as resembling a sheep in character; one who is acquiescent, easily influenced, passive, or willing to follow a leader blindly; a sheep. At present, municipal councillors play at party politics by organizing the ovine members who do not know how to vote until a Party Whip tells them, and opposing independent candidates at the elections. The remedy for this is the exclusion of ovines from the municipal panel.
Translations
Talk about this word "ovine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ovine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ovine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ovine "ovine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ovine.Cite this
@misc{ovine_2026,
title = {ovine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ovine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
