cow

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

cow [cow cows cowed cowing] noun, verb BrE [kaʊ] NAmE [kaʊ]
noun
1. a large animal kept on farms to produce milk or beef
•cow's milk
•a herd of dairy cows (= cows kept for their milk)
compare ↑bull, ↑calf, ↑heifer
see also ↑cattle
2. the female of the ↑elephant, ↑whale and some other large animals
compare ↑bull
3. (slang, disapproving)an offensive word for a woman
•You stupid cow!
•That interfering old cow has never liked me.
4. (AustralE, NZE)an unpleasant person, thing or situation
see also ↑cash cow, ↑sacred cow

Word Origin:
n. Old English cū Germanic Dutch koe German Kuh Indo-European Latin bos Greek bous v. late 16th cent. Old Norse kúga ‘oppress’

Example Bank:
•The region is treated as a milch cow by central government.
•the sacred cow of free market economics
Idioms: ↑have a cow ▪ ↑till the cows come home
 
verb usually passive ~ sb
to frighten sb in order to make them obey you
Syn: ↑intimidate
• She was easily cowed by people in authority.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
n. Old English cū Germanic Dutch koe German Kuh Indo-European Latin bos Greek bous v. late 16th cent. Old Norse kúga ‘oppress’

Example Bank:
•He took tough action to cow the people of the breakaway region.
•He was easily cowed by people in authority.
•They were wrong if they thought she could be cowed into submission by threats.
•Two judges have refused to be cowed by pressure from the government.

 

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  moo-cow, overawe