- Bos taurus
- Beef Beef (b[=e]f), n. [OE. boef, befe, beef, OF. boef, buef,
F. b[oe]ef, fr. L. bos, bovis, ox; akin to Gr. boy^s, Skr.
g[=o] cow, and E. cow. See 2d {Cow}.]
1. An animal of the genus {Bos}, especially the common
species, {Bos taurus}, including the bull, cow, and ox, in
their full grown state; esp., an ox or cow fattened for
food.
Note: [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural, beeves (b[=e]vz).] [1913 Webster]
A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
2. The flesh of an ox, or cow, or of any adult bovine animal, when slaughtered for food.
Note: [In this sense, the word has no plural.] ``Great meals of beef.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]
3. Applied colloquially to human flesh. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
