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calf

more about calf

calf

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Calf  \Calf\,  n.;  pl  {Calves}.  [OE.  calf,  kelf,  AS  cealf;  akin 
  to  D.  kalf,  G.  kalb,  Icel.  k[=a]lfr,  Sw  kalf,  Dan.  kalv, 
  Goth.  kalb[=o];  cf  Skr.  garbha  fetus,  young,  Gr  ?????,  Skr 
  grabh  to  seize,  conceive,  Ir  colpa,  colpach  a  calf. 
  [root]222.] 
  1.  The  young  of  the  cow,  or  of  the  Bovine  family  of 
  quadrupeds.  Also  the  young  of  some  other  mammals,  as  of 
  the  elephant,  rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  and  whale. 
 
  2.  Leather  made  of  the  skin  of  the  calf;  especially,  a  fine, 
  light-colored  leather  used  in  bookbinding;  as  to  bind 
  books  in  calf. 
 
  3.  An  awkward  or  silly  boy  or  young  man;  any  silly  person;  a 
  dolt.  [Colloq.] 
 
  Some  silly,  doting,  brainless  calf.  --Drayton. 
 
  4.  A  small  island  near  a  larger;  as  the  Calf  of  Man. 
 
  5.  A  small  mass  of  ice  set  free  from  the  submerged  part  of  a 
  glacier  or  berg,  and  rising  to  the  surface.  --Kane. 
 
  6.  [Cf.  Icel.  k[=a]lfi.]  The  fleshy  hinder  part  of  the  leg 
  below  the  knee. 
 
  {Calf's-foot  jelly},  jelly  made  from  the  feet  of  calves.  The 
  gelatinous  matter  of  the  feet  is  extracted  by  boiling,  and 
  is  flavored  with  sugar,  essences,  etc 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  calf 
  n  1:  young  of  domestic  cattle 
  2:  the  muscular  back  part  of  the  shank  [syn:  {sura}] 
  3:  fine  leather  from  the  skin  of  a  calf  [syn:  {calfskin}] 
  4:  young  of  various  large  placental  mammals  e.g.  whale  or 
  giraffe  or  elephant  or  buffalo 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Calf 
  Calves  were  commonly  made  use  of  in  sacrifices,  and  are 
  therefore  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture.  The  "fatted  calf" 
  was  regarded  as  the  choicest  of  animal  food;  it  was  frequently 
  also  offered  as  a  special  sacrifice  (1  Sam.  28:24;  Amos  6:4; 
  Luke  15:23).  The  words  used  in  Jer.  34:18,  19,  "cut  the  calf  in 
  twain,"  allude  to  the  custom  of  dividing  a  sacrifice  into  two 
  parts  between  which  the  parties  ratifying  a  covenant  passed 
  (Gen.  15:9,  10,  17,  18).  The  sacrifice  of  the  lips,  i.e., 
  priase,  is  called  "the  calves  of  our  lips"  (Hos.  14:2,  R.V.,  "as 
  bullocks  the  offering  of  our  lips."  Comp.  Heb.  13:15;  Ps  116:7; 
  Jer.  33:11). 
 
  The  golden  calf  which  Aaron  made  (Ex.  32:4)  was  probably  a 
  copy  of  the  god  Moloch  rather  than  of  the  god  Apis,  the  sacred 
  ox  or  calf  of  Egypt.  The  Jews  showed  all  through  their  history  a 
  tendency  toward  the  Babylonian  and  Canaanitish  idolatry  rather 
  than  toward  that  of  Egypt. 
 
  Ages  after  this  Jeroboam,  king  of  Israel,  set  up  two  idol 
  calves,  one  at  Dan,  and  the  other  at  Bethel,  that  he  might  thus 
  prevent  the  ten  tribes  from  resorting  to  Jerusalem  for  worship 
  (1  Kings  12:28).  These  calves  continued  to  be  a  snare  to  the 
  people  till  the  time  of  their  captivity.  The  calf  at  Dan  was 
  carried  away  in  the  reign  of  Pekah  by  Tiglath-pileser,  and  that 
  at  Bethel  ten  years  later  in  the  reign  of  Hoshea,  by 
  Shalmaneser  (2  Kings  15:29;  17:33).  This  sin  of  Jeroboam  is 
  almost  always  mentioned  along  with  his  name  (2  Kings  15:28 
  etc.).




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