Musing

[dogriver]

Please, another of you impeccable English speakers help me out here. There should be a one-word answer to this, but I can not think of one, and I suspect there is none. Please fill in the blank.

Human is to humans as {blank} is to cattle.

Comments

[torenheksje.livejournal.com]

Bovine?

[amber-n-teal.livejournal.com]

actually... hehe,
a heifer is a female of the bovine persuasion that is either a virgin, or sterile
A cow is a female of the bovine persuasion that has been bred and given birth
A steer is a male of the bovine persuasion that has had his testicles removed
A bull is a male of the bovine persuasion that is still in possession of his testicles.

These terms work for cattle, oxen, and buffalo.
Maybe it's like Buffalo can mean either one or many buffalo...
Maybe Kine?

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

interesting. I cant see what they would want, cow, steer, but that's not right. Curious what the answer is.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

hmm still thinking in the singulari it is known as head maybe as in a head of cattle like four head. hmm. This is wierd. I wonder if it intends you to use bovine. What is it, a crossword?