Where does “cow” come from?
Cow comes from Old Norse kúga, Old English cū, Proto-Germanic kūz, and Proto-Indo-European gʷṓws, the root for bovine animals.
cow (English): An adult female of the species "Bos taurus",...
Definitions
- An adult female of the species "Bos taurus",...
Ancestry of “cow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cowpony | A horse ridden by cowboys when controlling cattle |
| 2 | English | pony | A small horse; specifically, any of several small... |
| 3 | Scots | powny | — |
| 4 | Middle French | poulenet | little foal |
| 5 | Latin | pullanus | young of an animal |
| 6 | Latin | pullus | A young animal; darling; dark-colored; dusky |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | polHwós | pale, gray |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelH- | pale, gray |