calve
To give birth to a calfTo give birth to a calf.
» Some good cows have bad calves.
Meaning
6 senses(intransitive)To give birth to a calf.
The farmer could tell Bessie was about to calve.
kalben, werfen
тели́тьсяtelítʹsja
give birth to (a calf)
(intransitive)To assist in a cow’s giving birth to a calf.
The farmer calved Bessie for almost two hours.
(transitive)To give birth to (a calf).
(especially, figuratively, intransitive)To shed a large piece.
The glacier was starting to calve even as we watched.
kalben
(especially, figuratively, intransitive)To break off.
The sea was dangerous because of icebergs calving off the nearby glacier.
sich lösen
(especially, figuratively, transitive)To shed (a large piece); to set loose (a mass of ice).
The glacier was starting to calve an iceberg even as we watched.
Examples
28 sentencesSome good cows have bad calves.
This man has well-developed calves.
Giraffe calves walk minutes after birth.
Cows give their calves milk every morning.
There are calves in this giraffe herd.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 3
Origin
From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West GermanicFrom Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, German kalben, Swedish kalva, Icelandic kálfa.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
calves, calving, calved, calvedSynonyms
2 synonyms- give birth to (a calf):have young
- release ice:break up
Word family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle