Cow, Cow

Looking for Cattle?

Thus one may refer to "three cattle" or "some cattle", but not "one cattle". There is no universally used singular equivalent in modern English to "cattle", other than the gender and age-specific terms such as cow, bull, steer and heifer.

Further, any herd of fully mature cattle in or near a pasture is statistically likely to consist mostly of cows, so the term is probably accurate even in the restrictive sense.

The Oxford English Dictionary lists the use of "cows" as a synonym for "cattle" as an American usage. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Merriam-Webster, a U.S. dictionary, recognizes the non-gender-specific use of "cow" as an alternate definition, Merriam Webster Online: [1] whereas Collins, a UK dictionary, does not. Collins Language.com [2] Colloquially, more general non-specific terms may denote cattle when a singular form is needed.

Within the beef cattle industry in parts of the United States, the term "beef" (plural "beeves") is still used in its archaic sense to refer to an animal of either gender. Cows of certain breeds that are kept for the milk they give are called "dairy cows" or "milking cows" (formerly "milch cows" – "milch" was pronounced as "milk").

They are able to distinguish some colors, particularly blue from yellow, in the same way as most other mammals. Jacobs, G. H., J. F.Deegan, and J. Neitz. 1998. Photopigment basis fordichromatic color vision in cows, goats and sheep.

They are often used in some of the most wild places for livestock. Depending on the breed, cattle can survive on hill grazing, heaths, marshes, moors and semi desert. Modern cows are more commercial than older breeds and, having become more specialized, are less versatile. For this reason many smaller farmers still favor old breeds, like the dairy breed of cattle Jersey.

Cows are venerated within the Hindu religion of India. According to Vedic scripture they are to be treated with the same respect 'as one's mother' because of the milk they provide; "The cow is my mother. The bull is my sire." Mahabharata, Book 13-Anusasana Parva, Section LXXVI They appear in numerous stories from the Puranas and Vedas. The deity Krishna is brought up in a family of cowherders, and given the name Govinda (protector of the cows). Also Shiva is traditionally said to ride on the back of a bull named Nandi. Bulls in particular are seen as a symbolic emblem of selfless duty and religion. In ancient rural India every household had a few cows which provided a constant supply of milk and a few bulls that helped as draft animals. Many Hindus feel that at least it was economically wise to keep cattle for their milk rather than consume their flesh for one single meal.

The cow in India was the best comparison; she was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible.

Source: Wikipedia > Cattle