HOW TO PRONOUNCE
calf
/kæf/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:33
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The l is silent.
Use the vowel in cat, then move straight to f. Keep the word to one syllable.
1 syllable
TRY SAYING
“The calf stayed close to its mother.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does calf mean?
noun
- A young cow or bull of any bovid, such as domestic cattle or buffalo.
- Leather made of the skin of domestic calves; especially, a fine, light-coloured leather used in bookbinding.
- The young of various animals, especially elephant, giraffe, reindeer, seal, or whale (also indiscriminately used of other animals).
More meanings (6)
noun
- A mass of ice broken from a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
- A small island, near a larger island.
- A cabless railroad engine.
- The back of the leg below the knee.
- The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee.
- (dated, informal) An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/kæf/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
He had another curious saying about "the calf eating the cow's belly," which, he said, was not right, "at all, at all."
The branding is usually done during a round-up when every calf found is caught and branded in the brand of its mother.
More book examples (3)
“Now, dear boy,” said Prince Vasíli playfully, “say ‘yes,’ and I’ll write to her myself, and we will kill the fatted calf.”
Add a spoonful of ground flaxseed to each feed and teach the calf to eat a little grain as soon as possible.
By this time the calf disappears from lack of exercise, the bones are attenuated, and all the parts are dry and shrivelled.