calf

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine

n. the back part of your leg between your knee and your ankle.

n. the fleshy muscular back part of the human leg below the knee.

“He felt a sharp pain in his left calf while he was running up the hill.”

“The athlete suffered a severe strain to his right calf, necessitating several weeks of intensive physical therapy before he could return to competition.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the baby of some other large animals, like elephants or whales.

n. the young of various large mammals including elephants, whales, giraffes, and hippopotamuses.

“The documentary showed a whale calf swimming close to its mother in the ocean.”

“Conservationists monitored the elephant calf closely, noting that its social integration into the matriarchal group was progressing ahead of schedule.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Technical

n. a soft, high-quality leather made from the skin of a young cow.

n. leather made from the hide of a calf, valued for its fine grain and durability in bookbinding and footwear.

“The old book was bound in smooth brown calf and felt very expensive.”

“The collector preferred editions bound in antique calf, as the material developed a distinctive patina that modern synthetic alternatives could not replicate.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical

n. a piece of ice that breaks off from a glacier or iceberg.

n. a mass of ice that has broken away from a glacier, ice shelf, or larger iceberg.

Español:témpano

“The explorers saw a small calf of ice floating near the main glacier.”

“As the glacier retreated, several large calves drifted into the bay, posing a significant navigational hazard to the research vessel.”