male cow
B1neutral
Definition
Meaning
an adult male of domestic cattle, or of certain other large animals such as elephants, whales, or seals.
A person who buys securities or commodities in anticipation of a price rise (finance); a papal edict; one who aggressively promotes or champions something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Bull" is the specific zoological and agricultural term for an adult, uncastrated male bovine. "Steer" is a castrated male raised for beef. "Ox" is a castrated male used for draft work. "Cow" is specifically the female.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'bull' for the male cow. The financial sense ('bull market') is identical.
Connotations
Identical strong connotations of strength, aggression, stubbornness, and (in finance) optimism.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The farmer keeps a [Adj] bull.The bull [Vb] at the matador.Investors are [Adv] bullish.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “like a bull in a china shop”
- “take the bull by the horns”
- “bull's eye”
- “a bull market”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a rising market or optimistic investor ('bullish sentiment').
Academic
Used in zoology, agriculture, and economics.
Everyday
Refers to the farm animal or metaphorically to a clumsy/aggressive person.
Technical
In animal husbandry: an intact male bovine used for breeding.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He was accused of trying to bull his way through the procedure.
- Don't try to bull me with those excuses.
American English
- The politician tried to bull his bill through Congress.
- He's just bulling you.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- The broker remained bullish about pharmaceuticals.
- A bull market characterised the early 2000s.
American English
- His bullish attitude won over the board.
- Bull elephant seals are enormous.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We saw a big, black bull in the field.
- The bull has horns.
- The farmer keeps a bull for breeding with the cows.
- Be careful; that bull can be aggressive.
- Investors grew increasingly bullish as the economic indicators improved.
- He barged into the negotiation like a bull in a china shop, offending everyone.
- The papal bull was issued to clarify the doctrine.
- The matador expertly avoided the charging bull's lethal horns.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
BULL rhymes with FULL of strength. Think of a BULL's neck being FULL of muscle.
Conceptual Metaphor
AGGRESSION IS BULL-LIKE BEHAVIOUR (He charged into the meeting like a bull.); OPTIMISM IS A BULL (The market is bullish).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation from Russian 'бык' in all contexts. The finance term 'бычий рынок' correctly translates to 'bull market'. 'Cow' (корова) is female only.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'male cow' instead of 'bull' in standard English.
- Using 'cow' as a generic term for all cattle, which can cause confusion in technical contexts.
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is a castrated male bovine raised for beef?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
While logically true, 'bull' is the correct and specific term. 'Male cow' is technically accurate but non-idiomatic and sounds odd to native speakers.
A bull is an intact (uncastrated) male bovine. An ox is a castrated male bovine trained as a draft animal for pulling carts or ploughs.
Yes, it can refer to the male of other large species where the female is a 'cow', e.g., elephants, whales, seals, elk, and moose.
It describes confidence that a market or asset's price will rise. A 'bull market' is a period of rising prices. The opposite is 'bearish'.