heifer
pronunciation
How to pronounce heifer in British English:
UK [ˈhefə(r)]
How to pronounce heifer in American English:
US [ˈhɛfɚ]
-
- Noun:
- young cow
Word Origin
- heifer (n.)
- Old English heahfore, West Saxon; Northumbrian hehfaro, heffera (plural), of unknown origin, not found outside English. The first element seems to be heah "high," common in Old English compounds with a sense of "great in size." The second element may be related to Old English fearr "bull," or to Old English faran "to go" (giving the whole a sense of "high-stepper"); but there are serious sense difficulties with both conjectures. Liberman offers this alternative: Old English seems to have had the word *hægfore 'heifer.' The first element (*hæg-) presumably meant 'enclosure' (as do haw and hedge), whereas -fore was a suffix meaning 'dweller, occupant' .... In modern use a female that has not yet calved, as opposed to a cow, which has, and a calf, which is an animal of either sex not more than a year old. As derisive slang for "a woman, girl" it dates from 1835.
Example
- 1. Heifer 's approach is to provide families with livestock that can be bred for food .
- 2. Total number of families helped by heifer china .
- 3. There ain 't one heifer for every hog .
- 4. The joy and tears of heifer fundraisers .
- 5. The goddess delivered the heifer to argus , to be strictly watched .