cattle

plural noun

cat·​tle ˈka-tᵊl How to pronounce cattle (audio)
Synonyms of cattlenext
1
: domesticated quadrupeds held as property or raised for use
specifically : bovine animals on a farm or ranch
2
: human beings especially en masse

Examples of cattle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Now, for the first time, the virus is circulating among cattle, and at least thirty-four herds across nine states in this country are known to be infected. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024 But its move into cattle has been like crossing into a new country for the agencies. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 3 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for cattle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cattle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English catel, cadel "property (whether real or personal), goods, treasure, livestock, (in plural cateles) possessions," borrowed from Anglo-French katil "property, goods, wealth," borrowed from medieval French (dialects of Picardy and French Flanders) catel, going back to Medieval Latin capitāle "movable property, riches," (in Anglo-Saxon law texts) "head of cattle," noun derivative from neuter of capitālis "of the head, chief, principal" — more at capital entry 1

Note: Note that the spelling cattle is uncommon before the eighteenth century. Anglo-French katil is a variant of chatel—see chattel, which is a doublet of this word. Though the variant with [k] is rare in Anglo-French, catel is frequent and used almost interchangeably with chatel in Middle English. The sense "livestock," however, is only attached to catel, to judge from citations in the Middle English Dictionary. — Regarding the meaning "movable property, riches" of capitālis see the note at capital entry 2.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cattle was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing cattle

Dictionary Entries Near cattle

cattish

cattle

cattlebush

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Cattle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cattle. Accessed 9 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

cattle

noun
cat·​tle ˈkat-ᵊl How to pronounce cattle (audio)
plural cattle
: domestic four-footed animals held as property or raised for use
especially : bovine animals (as cows, bulls, or steers) kept on a farm or ranch
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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