taurus
[ˈtau̯.rʊs]masculine
The English word "bull" can be translated into Latin as taurus or bōs.
Meaning: uncastrated adult male bovine (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| taurus | [ˈtau̯.rʊs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈtaːu̯.rus] (narrow) |
masculine |
| bōs | masculine |
Both words refer to an uncastrated adult male bovine.
Which one should you use?
taurus often carries a more poetic or symbolic connotation of strength and power. In contrast, bōs is a more general term used for cattle or an ox.
How does it change in a sentence?
taurus is a second-declension masculine noun. This means its genitive singular form is tauri (of the bull) and its nominative plural form is also tauri (bulls).
Did you know?
- The word bōs is the root of the English word 'beef', arriving in English via the Old French 'boef'.
- The Latin word taurus might not actually be an original Indo-European word, but instead a loanword borrowed from an unknown ancient language.
- While bōs refers to the animal, the word bovinus is used as an adjective to describe things relating to cattle, which is where we get 'bovine'.
Examples in context
- Taurus animal est validum.The bull is a strong animal.This sentence uses taurus to describe the bull as a strong animal.Tatoeba #11664436 by carlosalberto, translation #11664432 by carlosalberto
- Quales mugitus, fugit cum saucius aram / taurus et incertam excussit cervice securim.As when a wounded bull / shakes from his neck the faltering axe and, fain / to fly the cruel altars, roars in pain.This sentence uses taurus in a poetic context regarding a wounded bull.Tatoeba #6705104 by carlosalberto, translation #6814591 by carlosalberto
- Taurus, vacca et vitulus pilis teguntur. Aries, Ovis cum Agno Lanam gestant. Hircus (Caper), cum Caprā, et Haedo habent Villos et aruncos.The bull, the cow and the calf are covered with hair. The ram, or wether, the ewe and the lamb have wool. The billy goat, the gelded goat, the she-goat and kid have long hair and beards.This sentence uses taurus to list a bull alongside other livestock like cows and calves.Tatoeba #7355865 by jimkillock, translation #7355876 by jimkillock
Example conversation
Julia and Marcus are visiting a farm.
- JuliaVide! Hic taurus magnus est.Look! This bull is huge.
- MarcusIta, taurus valde validus videtur.Yes, the bull seems very strong.
- JuliaEstne taurus periculosus?Is the bull dangerous?
- MarcusFortasse, sed taurus hic mansuetus est.Perhaps, but this bull is tame.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bull” translations and entries taurus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries taurus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
