*cow*

n. [ See Cowl a hood. ] A chimney cap; a cowl [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Cows (kouz); old pl. Kine [ OE. cu, cou, AS. cū; akin to D. koe, G. kuh, OHG. kuo, Icel. k&ymacr_;r, Dan. & Sw. ko, L. bos ox, cow, Gr. boy^s, Skr. gō. √223. Cf. Beef, Bovine, Bucolic, Butter, Nylghau. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The mature female of bovine animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The female of certain large mammals, as whales, seals, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cowed p. pr. & vb. n. Cowing. ] [ Cf. Icel. kuga, Sw. kufva to check, subdue, Dan. kue. Cf. Cuff, v. t. ] To depress with fear; to daunt the spirits or courage of; to overawe. [ 1913 Webster ]

To vanquish a people already cowed. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

THe French king was cowed. J. R. Green. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. from same root as cow, v. t. ] (Mining) A wedge, or brake, to check the motion of a machine or car; a chock. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Cowhage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A phantasmic or “astral” body deemed to be separable from the physical body and capable of acting independently; a doppelgänger. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. OF. couillon a coward, a cullion. ] One who works as a mason without having served a regular apprenticeship. [ Scot. ] Among Freemasons, it is a cant term for pretender, interloper. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF. couard, coard, coart, n. and adj., F. couard, fr. OF. coe, coue, tail, F. queue (fr. L. coda, a form of cauda tail) + -ard; orig., short-tailed, as an epithet of the hare, or perh., turning tail, like a scared dog. Cf. Cue, Queue, Caudal. ] 1. (Her.) Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs; -- said of a lion. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Destitute of courage; timid; cowardly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fie, coward woman, and soft-hearted wretch. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Belonging to a coward; proceeding from, or expressive of, base fear or timidity. [ 1913 Webster ]

He raised the house with loud and coward cries. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Invading fears repel my coward joy. Proir. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person who lacks courage; a timid or pusillanimous person; a poltroon. [ 1913 Webster ]

A fool is nauseous, but a coward worse. Dryden.

Syn. -- Craven; poltroon; dastard. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make timorous; to frighten. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

That which cowardeth a man's heart. Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. couardise, fr. couard. See Coward. ] Want of courage to face danger; extreme timidity; pusillanimity; base fear of danger or hurt; lack of spirit. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cowardice of doing wrong. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Moderation was despised as cowardice. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. couardie. ] Cowardice. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Cowardly. [ Obs. ] “A base and a cowardish mind.” Robynson (More's Utopia). [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To render cowardly. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

God . . . cowardizeth . . . insolent spirits. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Cowardice. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Wanting courage; basely or weakly timid or fearful; pusillanimous; spiritless. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cowardly rascals that ran from the battle. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Proceeding from fear of danger or other consequences; befitting a coward; dastardly; base; as, cowardly malignity. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cowardly rashness of those who dare not look danger in the face. Burke.

Syn. -- Timid; fearful; timorous; dastardly; pusillanimous; recreant; craven; faint-hearted; chicken-hearted; white-livered. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a coward. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Cowardice. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A poisonous umbelliferous plant; in England, the Cicuta virosa; in the United States, the Cicuta maculata and the Archemora rigida. See Water hemlock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Cowberries (Bot.) A species of Vaccinium (Vaccinium Vitis-idæa), which bears acid red berries which are sometimes used in cookery; -- locally called mountain cranberry. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The cow blackbird (Molothrus ater), an American starling. Like the European cuckoo, it builds no nest, but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds; -- so called because frequently associated with cattle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. Dried cow dung used as fuel.[ Prov. Eng. ] Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A cattle herder; a drover; specifically, one of an adventurous class of herders and drovers on the plains of the Western and Southwestern United States. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of the marauders who, in the Revolutionary War infested the neutral ground between the American and British lines, and committed depredations on the Americans. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A strong inclined frame, usually of wrought-iron bars, in front of a locomotive engine, for catching or throwing off obstructions on a railway, as cattle; the pilot. [ U.S. ]
Syn. -- fender, buffer, pilot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a European annual (Vaccaria hispanica) with pale rose-colored flowers; cultivated flower or self-sown grainfield weed; introduced in North America; sometimes classified as a soapwort.
Syn. -- cowherb, cow cockle, Vaccaria hispanica, Vaccaria pyramidata, Saponaria vaccaria. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) See Kauri. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. frightened into submission or compliance.
Syn. -- browbeaten, bullied, hangdog, intimidated. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Cowered p. pr. & vb. n. Cowering. ] [ Cf. Icel. kera to doze, liequiet, Sw. kura, Dan. kure, G. kauern to cower, W. cwrian. ] To stoop by bending the knees; to crouch; to squat; hence, to quail; to sink through fear. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like falcons, cowering on the nest. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To cherish with care. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. characterized by or showing abject fear. [ prenominal ]
Syn. -- craven, cringing(prenominal), fearful, recreant. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) (a) The grampus. (b) A California dolphin (Tursiops Gillii). (c) A marine plectognath fish (Ostracoin quadricorne, and allied species), having two projections, like horns, in front; -- called also cuckold, coffer fish, trunkfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Hind. kawānch, koānch. ] (Bot.) A leguminous climbing plant of the genus Mucuna, having crooked pods covered with sharp hairs, which stick to the fingers, causing intolerable itching. The spiculæ are sometimes used in medicine as a mechanical vermifuge. [ Written also couhage, cowage, and cowitch. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Cowardly. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lady Powis . . . patted him with her fan, and called him a cowhearted fellow. R. North. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a European annual with pale rose-colored flowers; cultivated flower or self-sown grainfield weed; introduced in North America; sometimes classified as a soapwort; -- also called the cow-cockle.
Syn. -- cow cockle, cow-cockle, Vaccaria hispanica, Vaccaria pyramidata, Saponaria vaccaria. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ AS. cūhyrde; cū cow + hyrde a herder. ] One whose occupation is to tend cows. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The hide of a cow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Leather made of the hide of a cow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A coarse whip made of untanned leather. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cowhided; p. pr. & vb. n. Cowhiding. ] To flog with a cowhide. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Cow, v. t. ] Timorous; fearful; cowardly. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) An umbelliferous plant (Peucedanum Cous) with edible tuberous roots, found in Oregon. [ Written also cous. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Cowhage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. cuvele, cuvel, dim. of F. cuve tub, vat, fr. L. cupa. See Cup. ] A vessel carried on a pole between two persons, for conveyance of water. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. cuhle, cugle, cugele; cf. dial. G. kogel, gugel, OF. coule, goule; all fr. LL. cuculla, cucullus, fr. L. cucullus cap, hood; perh. akin to celare to conceal, cella cell. Cf. Cucullate. ] 1. A monk's hood; -- usually attached to the gown. The name was also applied to the hood and garment together. [ 1913 Webster ]

What differ more, you cry, than crown and cowl? Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cowl-shaped cap, commonly turning with the wind, used to improve the draft of a chimney, ventilating shaft, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A wire cap for the smokestack of a locomotive. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (aviation) a removable metal covering for an aircraft engine, providing streamlining to minimize wind resistance; -- also called cowling. [ PJC ]

5. a covering for a chimney or other ventilating shaft functioning to increase the draft. [ PJC ]

a. Wearing a cowl; hooded; as, a cowled monk. “That cowled churchman.” Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d cow + leech a physician. ] One who heals diseases of cows; a cow doctor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Healing the distemper of cows. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A tuft of hair turned up or awry (usually over the forehead), as if licked by a cow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling a cow. [ 1913 Webster ]

With cowlike udders and with oxlike eyes. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cowl a vessel + staff. ] A staff or pole on which a vessel is supported between two persons. Suckling. [ 1913 Webster ]