What does "cattle" mean?

1. (farm animals) cows, bulls, and oxen kept on a farm for meat or milk. 2. (people (insult)) a rude way to describe a large group of people who are treated like animals or who do not think for themselves. 3. (to break or ruin) to break, ruin, or destroy something. 4. (other livestock) an old word for other farm animals like sheep, pigs, or goats.

How do you use "cattle"?

Always plural in construction; it takes a plural verb and cannot be used with a specific number like 'three cattle' (use 'three head of cattle' instead). Transitive verb; often used in the passive voice to describe something that is non-functional.

Is it correct to say "The farmer has many cattles."?

No — say "The farmer has many cattle.". Cattle is a plural noun and does not take an 's' at the end.

cattle

n. · v.

US //ˈkætəɫ// UK //kˈætəl// cat·tle

1 farm animals (n.)
B1 Intermediate

cows, bulls, and oxen kept on a farm for meat or milk.

domesticated bovine animals, such as cows and bulls, raised as livestock for economic purposes.

Example

The farmer moved the cattle to a different field where the grass was longer.

Example

The rancher managed over five hundred head of cattle, rotating them across various pastures to ensure the land remained fertile throughout the season.

Usage

Always plural in construction; it takes a plural verb and cannot be used with a specific number like 'three cattle' (use 'three head of cattle' instead).
- livestock
- cows
- bovines
Pitfall

The farmer has many cattles.

The farmer has many cattle.

Cattle is a plural noun and does not take an 's' at the end.
2 people (insult) (n.)
C1 Advanced Informal

a rude way to describe a large group of people who are treated like animals or who do not think for themselves.

a derogatory metaphor for humans perceived as mindless, submissive, or easily led, often used in political or social critiques.

Example

The commuters were packed into the train like cattle during the morning rush.

Example

The dictator viewed the citizens as mere cattle, useful only for their labour and easily manipulated by state-controlled media.

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3 to break or ruin (v.)
C2 Proficiency Slang British English Vulgar

to break, ruin, or destroy something.

to break or ruin; derived from the Cockney rhyming slang 'cattle truck', which rhymes with a common vulgarity.

Example

I dropped my phone on the pavement and now it is completely cattled.

Example

The engine is absolutely cattled after that long journey, and the mechanic says it will cost a fortune to replace.

Usage

Transitive verb; often used in the passive voice to describe something that is non-functional.
- fix
- repair
4 other livestock (n.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Dialect

an old word for other farm animals like sheep, pigs, or goats.

a historical or dialectal use referring to livestock in general, including sheep, swine, or goats.

Example

In the old stories, the word cattle referred to all the animals on the farm.

Example

The historical document lists the tenant's small cattle, specifically referring to the flock of goats kept for milk production.
- livestock
- beasts

Origin

From Middle English catel, from Anglo-Norman catel (“personal property”), from Old Northern French (compare French cheptel, Old French chetel, chatel, also English chattel) from Medieval Latin capitāle, from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (whence also capital, from caput (“head”) + -alis (“-al”)). For the sense evolution, compare pecuniary and fee. Also compare Russian поголо́вье (pogolóvʹje, “total number of livestock”) from Russian голова́ (golová, “head”). Doublet of capital and chattel.

Idioms2 entries