bovine

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

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

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bovinely

adverb

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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

His grace moved me like the flourish of a cape, an attack of violins, a sword to the heart of me, bovine, adoring.

— alison kinney, Longreads, "The Man in the Mirror," 10 Mar. 2018
Always a thing of wonder, color can be as basic as rocks (ground up for pigment) or bovine urine — more specifically, urine from cows or buffaloes that have been fed exclusively on mango leaves.

— mark feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Coloring our world, from cave paintings to today," 15 Mar. 2018
Last year, state figures show cattle numbers since 1983 have jumped 62% to 97,000 at a time when the statewide bovine population fell 20%.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "DNR board approves measure to limit manure pollution in eastern Wisconsin to protect groundwater," 24 Jan. 2018
Cows feet and the occasional bloody bovine head hang at the butcher stalls.

— lindsay cohn, ELLE Decor, "Why Every Culture Aficionado Needs to Visit Fez, Morocco," 6 Mar. 2018
Those bovine descendants of the aurochs helped us invent civilization.

— bob gathany, AL.com, "Up in the air at the Huntsville Community Kite Festival," 4 Mar. 2018
In February 2017, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others used DNA to learn whether viruses and bacteria in water samples from wells in the county were human or bovine.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "DNR board approves measure to limit manure pollution in eastern Wisconsin to protect groundwater," 24 Jan. 2018
None more so than The Voice host Carson Daly, who experienced a bovine malfunction.

— paula parisi, Billboard, "Inside NBC's Super Fun, Music-Packed Ad Strategy for 'The Voice' & Olympics," 7 Feb. 2018
At the Shri Krishna Gaushala, the 8,100 bovine residents receive abundant feed and free veterinary care, thanks to the generosity of the Hindu faithful and Modi’s government, which has lavished at least 5.8 billion rupees on the refuges.

— anindya upadhyay, Bloomberg.com, "India’s Sacred Cow Now Threatens an $83 Billion Dairy Industry," 23 Jan. 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.