bovine

adjective bo·vine \ ˈbō-ˌvīn , -ˌvēn \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Examples: bovine in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of bovine

1 : of, relating to, or resembling bovines and especially the ox or cow

a bovine disease

2 : having qualities (such as placidity or dullness) characteristic of oxen or cows

had a stupid, bovine expression on his face

—

bovinely

adverb

—

bovinity

play \bō-ˈvi-nə-tē\ noun

See bovine defined for English-language learners

See bovine defined for kids

Examples of bovine in a Sentence

She stared at us with a stupid, bovine expression.

Recent Examples of bovine from the Web

There are also seemingly random — and likely not household — products on the list, like bovine semen and horsehair.

— New York Times, "Trade War With China in Aisle 12," 12 July 2018
The enormous beasts hail from ancient bovine breeds originating in the Iberian peninsula, such as the Barrosã of Portugal and the Rubia Gallega from northern Spain.

— oliver griffin, WSJ, "Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years," 10 July 2018
Worryingly, bovine waste seems to be spreading in Europe.

— The Economist, "How policy debates in Europe become untethered from reality," 12 July 2018
These robots lure Bitler’s herd, the bovine version of Pavlov’s dogs, into state-of-the-milking stalls with a reward of high-nutrient pellets and a splash of molasses.

— jason nark, Philly.com, "Down on the farm with the robots and drones," 5 July 2018
To be sure, camel's milk remains expensive compared with its bovine equivalent.

— rebecca keenan, Bloomberg.com, "The World Wants More Camel Milk. Australia Can Help," 23 May 2018
As it was reported in The Times in 2014, the bovine busts, along with two ram heads with long, curling horns, began life as facade ornaments for the New York Butchers’ Dressed Meat Company.

— jane margolies, New York Times, "From the Slaughterhouse to the Playground," 20 June 2018
But the cases feel so stretched out and the pacing so vexingly bovine — as if the writers and directors were told to fill a set number of minutes — that the mysteries repel emotional investment.

— inkoo kang, The Hollywood Reporter, "'C.B. Strike': TV Review," 31 May 2018
Additionally, bovine milk oligosaccharides lack the structural complexity and diversity of HMOs.

— steven townsend, Philly.com, "How mother's milk shapes baby's microbiome - and overall health," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bovine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Bovine comes from the Latin word for "cow", though the biological family called the Bovidae actually includes not only cows and oxen but also goats, sheep, bison, and buffalo. So bovine is often used technically, when discussing "bovine diseases", "bovine anatomy", and so on. It can also describe a human personality, though it can be a rather unkind way to describe someone. When Hera, the wife of Zeus, is called "cow-eyed", though, it's definitely a compliment, and Zeus fairly melts when she turns those big bovine eyes on him.