cū
feminine
The Old English word for "cow" is cū.
cū refers to an adult female of the species Bos taurus.
Meaning: adult female of species Bos taurus (noun)
Which one should you use?
cū is the singular form used to refer to a single cow, while cȳ is the plural form used to refer to multiple cows.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun cū is a feminine noun. The plural form of cū is cȳ.
Did you know?
- If you were to describe a 'cow' in a poem from the Anglo-Saxon period, the word cū might be replaced by a 'kenning', a metaphorical compound word used by poets.
- The word cū is a cognate of the Dutch word koe and the German word Kuh, showing the shared Germanic roots of livestock terms.
- In Old English, the word 'cū' was not just a name for an animal but was a common component in many names for places and even some person names.
Examples in context
- Sēo cū wearð eallunga hāl æfter þǣre ādle.The cow made a full recovery.This sentence shows how to use cū in a context regarding health and recovery.Tatoeba #13898331 by rul, translation #9149920 by Amastan
- Sēo cū eteþ þæt græs.The cow eats the grass.
Example conversation
Wulfrun and Osric are discussing livestock on their farm.
- WulfrunHwǣr is sēo brūne cū?Where is the brown cow?
- OsricSēo cū is under þǣm trēowe.The cow is under the tree.
- WulfrunClipa þā cū hider nū.Call the cow here now.
- OsricIċ wille gān tō hire.I will go to her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cow” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
