calve

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verb \ ˈkav , ˈkäv \

Definition of calve

calved; calving

intransitive verb

1 :to give birth to a calf; also :to produce offspring

2 of an ice mass :to separate or break so that a part becomes detached

transitive verb

1 :to produce by birth

2 of an ice mass :to let become detached

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Examples of calve in a Sentence

The cow calved in the barn.

Recent Examples of calve from the Web

At one of the countless small lakes that pepper the region, chunks of shoreline that include what had been permafrost have calved off toward the water.

— henry fountain, The Seattle Times, "Alaska’s permafrost is thawing," 23 Aug. 2017
Antarctica's ice shelves do calve large pieces regularly, a natural process.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Historic iceberg the size of Delaware breaks off Antarctica," 12 July 2017
Other scientists say calving events like this, even of this scale, are normal for ice sheets.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Trump gets the chance to make his coal rhetoric reality," 12 July 2017
Between April and May, gray whales begin to migrate from their calving waters in Mexico to the feeding waters near Alaska.

— National Geographic, "Killer Whales Attacked a Blue Whale—Here's the Surprising Reason Why," 25 May 2017
In this video, a pod of humpback whales can be seen migrating past South Africa to the warmer waters of Australia for breeding and calving.

— delaney chambers, National Geographic, "The Rare Beauty of Dozens of Migrating Humpback Whales," 2 Dec. 2016
From mid-July through November southern right whales calve and nurse their babies in warm Indian Ocean bays.

— susan hack, Town & Country, "Four Of The Best New Travel Destinatons In Africa," 15 Sep. 2014

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

Origin and Etymology of calve

Middle English, from Old English cealfian, from cealf calf

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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CALVE Defined for English Language Learners

calve

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verb

Definition of calve for English Language Learners

of a cow : to give birth to a calf

CALVE Defined for Kids

calve

play

verb \ ˈkav , ˈkäv \

Definition of calve for Students

calved; calving

:to give birth to a calf

The cow calved in the barn.

Learn More about calve

See words that rhyme with calve Spanish Central: Translation of calve Nglish: Translation of calve for Spanish speakers

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calve

Definition of calve

Examples of calve in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of calve

CALVE Defined for English Language Learners

calve

Definition of calve for English Language Learners

CALVE Defined for Kids

calve

Definition of calve for Students

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