What does it mean word for word?
The word wołowina is a compound consisting of woły (oxen/cattle) and the suffix -ina, which is used to denote meat or substances.
Which one should you use?
The noun wołowina refers to the meat itself, while the adjective wołowy is used to describe things related to beef, such as stek wołowy (beef steak) or wywar wołowy (beef broth).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
wołowina is a feminine noun. It changes form depending on its role in a sentence: it becomes wołowiny in the genitive case, which is required after most expressions of quantity or negation and it takes the form wołowinę when it is the direct object of a transitive verb, such as in the phrase jem wołowinę (I am eating beef).
How do you pronounce it?
/vɔ.wɔˈvi.na/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- Historically, the word wół from which wołowina is derived was used in Polish folk idioms to describe a slow or stubborn person.
- In Polish culinary tradition, wołowina is often associated with rosół, a traditional beef or chicken broth that is the cornerstone of Sunday family dinners.
- The suffix -ina used in wołowina is a specialized linguistic tool in Polish to turn animals into meat, as seen in wieprzowina for pork and cielęcina for veal.
Examples in context
- Wołowina jest droga w dzisiejszych czasach.Beef is expensive nowadays.This sentence is useful for discussing the current cost of wołowina.Tatoeba #7681571 by qmak, translation #18686 by CK
- Ile kosztuje kilo mięsa wołowego?How much does a kilogram of beef cost?
- Ta wołowina jest bardzo świeża.This beef is very fresh.
- Czy ta wołowina jest na promocji?Is this beef on sale?
Example conversation
Katarzyna and Piotr are at a local butcher shop.
- KatarzynaPiotrze, czy ta wołowina jest dobra?Piotr, is this beef good?
- PiotrTak, ta wołowina wygląda świetnie.Yes, this beef looks great.
- KatarzynaChcę ją kupić na obiad.I want to buy it for dinner.
- PiotrTo świetny pomysł, Katarzyno.That is a great idea, Katarzyna.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beef” translations and entries wołowina, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
