veau
/vo/masculine
The English word "calf" translates to French as veau. Wiktionary also lists velle.
Meaning: young cow or bull (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| veau | /vo/ | masculine |
| velle | /vɛl/ | feminine |
veau refers to a young cow or bull. In culinary contexts, this same word is used to refer to the meat, known in English as veal.
Which one should you use?
velle is a rare feminine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/vo/
Did you know?
- France has a famous traditional dish called veau Marengo, which was historically created to honor Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Marengo.
- The word veau shares a root with the Latin vitellus, making it a linguistic relative of the English word 'vitellus' used in biology to describe egg yolk.
- The French term veau appears in the name of the veau d'or, a term sometimes used in literature to mirror the biblical 'golden calf' representing greed.
Examples in context
- À chacun son propre veau d'or.For each his own golden calf.Tatoeba #486166 by sacredceltic, translation #2755157 by verdulo
- La vache mit bas un veau à deux têtes.The cow gave birth to a calf with two heads.Tatoeba #801229 by sacredceltic, translation #723211 by darinmex
- Un taureau, une vache et un veau broutent dans le pré.A bull, a cow and a calf are grazing in the meadow.Tatoeba #10492084 by lbdx, translation #10489849 by AlanF_US
- Les éleveurs s'occupent bien de leurs veaux.Farmers take good care of their calves.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are visiting a small farm.
- EmmaRegarde ce petit veau dans l'enclos.Look at this little calf in the pen.
- HugoIl est vraiment mignon, ce veau.This calf is really cute.
- EmmaEst-ce que sa mère est là ?Is its mother there?
- HugoOui, elle surveille son petit de près.Yes, she is watching her little one closely.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “calf” translations and entries veau, velle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries veau, velle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
