bovine

play

adjective bo·vine \ˈbō-ˌvīn, -ˌvēn\

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

In total, the bovine airlift is expected to bring in the 4,000 cows within about a month.

— mohammed sergie, Bloomberg.com, "Qatar’s First Shipment of Air-Lifted Cows Lands in Doha," 11 July 2017
The state ranks second in the nation for exports of cheese and whey, and first for exports of cranberries, sweet corn, ginseng, bovine genetics and raw fur skins.

— rick barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "U.S. farmers fear trade war if Trump penalizes imports of steel, aluminum," 11 July 2017
The cows developed a prion disease of their own, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, nicknamed mad-cow disease.

— carl zimmer, The Seattle Times, "Setting fire to spare deer from death," 30 June 2017
There are no exotic seasonings, because this orgy of bovine fat and meat requires none.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Auburn," 30 June 2017
Health certificates, bovine bullet wounds, viral outbreaks, livestock animal abuse — these are just a few of the issues facing Nevada’s specially trained team for agricultural crime.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "These Law Enforcement Officers Wield Handguns and Vet Supplies," 29 June 2017
The cows developed a prion disease of their own, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, nicknamed mad cow disease.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "Fire May Be the Only Remedy for a Plague Killing Deer and Elk," 26 June 2017
All of the precautions lessen the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

— mary clare jalonick, The Seattle Times, "China a step closer to resuming US beef imports," 12 June 2017
This bovine obsession hints at a bigger lurch toward the right in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "To protest against Modi, these Indians are cooking beef in public," 6 June 2017

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.