of or pertaining to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus.
2.
oxlike; cowlike.
3.
stolid; dull.
noun
4.
a bovine animal.
Origin
1810-20; < Late Latinbovīnus of, pertaining to oxen or cows, equivalent to Latinbov- (stem of bōs) ox + -īnus-ine1
Related forms
bovinely, adverb
bovinity
[boh-vin-i-tee] /boʊˈvɪn ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), noun
Examples from the web for bovine
Red deer also spread bovine tuberculosis to co-habiting livestock.
The first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was detected in 1986.
As the bovine star awaits the rooster's cry, other animal noises fill the barnyard.
Minnie and Moo are best bovine pals living a comfortable life on a placid farm.
Electronics has freed bovine mothers from dinnertime chores.
When he's sold to a riding school, he languishes, pining for his bovine companions.
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, eats holes in the brains of cattle.
The whales themselves appeared to be taking in their surroundings through heavy-lidded, bovine eyes.
One tactic was bovine interference.
Hence the oddly bland, bovine expressions on travelers' faces.
British Dictionary definitions for bovine
bovine
/ˈbəʊvaɪn/
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or belonging to the Bovini (cattle), a bovid tribe including domestic cattle
2.
(of people) dull; sluggish; stolid
noun
3.
any animal belonging to the Bovini
Derived Forms
bovinely, adverb
Word Origin
C19: from Late Latin bovīnus concerning oxen or cows, from Latin bōs ox, cow
Word Origin and History for bovine
adj.
1817, from French bovin (14c.), from Late Latin bovinus, from Latin bos (genitive bovis) "ox, cow," from PIE *gwous- (see cow (n.)). Figurative sense of "inert and stupid" is from 1855.
bovine in Science
bovine
(bō'vīn') Characteristic of or resembling cows or cattle.