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Bovine comes from the Latin word for "cow", though the biological family called the Bovidae actually includes not only cows and oxen but also goats, sheep, bison, and buffalo. So bovine is often used technically, when discussing "bovine diseases", "bovine anatomy", and so on. It can also describe a human personality, though it can be a rather unkind way to describe someone. When Hera, the wife of Zeus, is called "cow-eyed", though, it's definitely a compliment, and Zeus fairly melts when she turns those big bovine eyes on him.
Examples of bovine in a Sentence
Emily Burns, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
The first step to doing that, says Cornell associate professor Joseph McFadden, is to get good measurements of bovine methane in the first place.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2024
Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 5 Sep. 2024
May also offered insight into his documentary about the spread of bovine tuberculosis, Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers and Me, in the video and its caption.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bovine 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bovine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bovine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bovine. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bovine
1 of 2 adjective
bovine
2 of 2 noun
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