calf

• n. [解剖] 腓肠，小腿；小牛；小牛皮；(鲸等大哺乳动物的)幼崽

来自PIE *gel, 鼓起，子宫，词源同child, dolphin.

calf

calf: English has two distinct words calf, both of Germanic origin. Calf ‘young cow’ goes back to Old English cealf, descendant of a prehistoric West Germanic *kalbam, which also produced German kalb and Dutch kalf. Calf of the leg [14] was borrowed from Old Norse kálfi, of unknown origin.

calf (n.1)

"young cow," Old English cealf (Anglian cælf) "young cow," from Proto-Germanic *kalbam (cognates: Middle Dutch calf, Old Norse kalfr, German Kalb, Gothic kalbo), perhaps from PIE *gelb(h)-, from root *gel- "to swell," hence, "womb, fetus, young of an animal." Elliptical sense of "leather made from the skin of a calf" is from 1727. Used of icebergs that break off from glaciers from 1818.

calf (n.2)

fleshy part of the lower leg, early 14c., from Old Norse kalfi, source unknown; possibly from the same Germanic root as calf (n.1).

1. The snow, except where it drifted, was only calf-deep.

除了吹得堆积起来的地方，雪只有小腿肚深。

来自柯林斯例句

2. I rubbed the velvety grooves inside the calf's ears.

我摩挲着小牛耳朵里面柔软的凹槽。

来自柯林斯例句

3. Hillsden was complain-ing of cramp in his calf muscles.

希尔斯登说他小腿抽筋。

来自柯林斯例句

4. He suffered a pulled calf muscle.

他小腿肚肌肉拉伤。

来自柯林斯例句

5. I've torn a calf muscle.

我拉伤了小腿肌肉。

来自《权威词典》