calf
- 01 A2 Elementary
a young cow or bull.
the young of domestic cattle, typically under one year of age.
Simple“The farmer watched the young calf follow its mother across the field.”
In context“The dairy farmer separated the newborn calf from the herd to ensure it received proper veterinary attention during its first week.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
the back part of your leg between your knee and your ankle.
the fleshy muscular back part of the human leg below the knee.
Simple“He felt a sharp pain in his left calf while he was running up the hill.”
In context“The athlete suffered a severe strain to his right calf, necessitating several weeks of intensive physical therapy before he could return to competition.”
SynonymsgastrocnemiusAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the baby of some other large animals, like elephants or whales.
the young of various large mammals including elephants, whales, giraffes, and hippopotamuses.
Simple“The documentary showed a whale calf swimming close to its mother in the ocean.”
In context“Conservationists monitored the elephant calf closely, noting that its social integration into the matriarchal group was progressing ahead of schedule.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
a soft, high-quality leather made from the skin of a young cow.
leather made from the hide of a calf, valued for its fine grain and durability in bookbinding and footwear.
Simple“The old book was bound in smooth brown calf and felt very expensive.”
In context“The collector preferred editions bound in antique calf, as the material developed a distinctive patina that modern synthetic alternatives could not replicate.”
Synonymscalfskin - 05 C2 Proficiency
a piece of ice that breaks off from a glacier or iceberg.
a mass of ice that has broken away from a glacier, ice shelf, or larger iceberg.
Simple“The explorers saw a small calf of ice floating near the main glacier.”
In context“As the glacier retreated, several large calves drifted into the bay, posing a significant navigational hazard to the research vessel.”
From Middle English calf, from Anglian Old English cælf, calf (West Saxon ċealf), 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”)
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.