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calf¹

(kăf, käf)

n. pl. calves (kăvz, kävz)

a. A young cow or bull.

b. One of the young of certain other mammals, such as moose, elephants, or whales.

2. Calfskin leather.

3. A large floating chunk of ice split off from a glacier, iceberg, or floe.

4. An awkward, callow youth.

[Middle English, from Old English cealf.]

calf²

(kăf, käf)

n. pl. calves (kăvz, kävz)

The fleshy muscular back part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.

[Middle English, from Old Norse kālfi; possibly akin to CALF¹ (from its shape).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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