Meanings
present singular third person calves · participle present calving · participle past calved · past calved
- intransitiveTo assist in a cow’s giving birth to a calf.
The farmer calved Bessie for almost two hours.
- especiallyfigurativelyintransitivea glacier; an ice sheet; a glacier; an ice sheetTo shed a large piece.
The glacier was starting to calve even as we watched.
- especiallyfigurativelyintransitiveTo break off.
The sea was dangerous because of icebergs calving off the nearby glacier.
- especiallyfigurativelytransitivea glacier; an ice sheet; a glacier; an ice sheetTo shed (a large piece); to set loose (a mass of ice).
The glacier was starting to calve an iceberg even as we watched.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*kalbōną“to calve”
- Proto-West Germanic*kalbōn
- Old English*calfian
- Middle Englishcalven
- Englishcalve
From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, German kalben, Swedish kalva, Icelandic kálfa.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отелвам се
- отелвам се (otelvam se)to give birth to a calf
Catalan vedellar
- vedellarto give birth to a calf
Czech otelit se, telit se
- otelit seto give birth to a calf
- telit seto give birth to a calf
Danish kælve, kælve
- kælveto shed a large piece
- kælveto break off
- kælveto shed, set loose (a mass of ice)
- kælveto give birth to a calf
Dutch helpen met het kalven, afkalven
- helpen met het kalvento assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf
- afkalvento shed a large piece
- loskomento break off
- kalvento give birth to a calf
- ter wereld brengento give birth to (a calf)
Esperanto naski bovidon
- naski bovidonto give birth to a calf
Finnish vasikoida, poikia
- vasikoidato assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf
- poikiato shed a large piece
- vasikoidato give birth to a calf
- poikiato give birth to a calf
French aider le vêlage, se fragmenter
- aider le vêlageto assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf
- se fragmenterto shed a large piece
- se scinderto shed a large piece
- se morcelerto shed a large piece
- se casserto shed a large piece
- se fractionnerto shed a large piece
- se briserto shed a large piece
- se détacher (de)to break off
- perdreto shed, set loose (a mass of ice)
- abandonnerto shed, set loose (a mass of ice)
- vêlerto give birth to a calf
- mettre basto give birth to a calf
German kalben, sich lösen
- kalbento shed a large piece
- sich lösento break off
- kalbento give birth to a calf
- werfento give birth to (a calf)
Norwegian Bokmål kalve, kalve
- kalveto shed a large piece
- kalveto give birth to a calf
Polish cielić się, ocielić się
- cielić sięto give birth to a calf
- ocielić sięto give birth to a calf
Russian тели́ться
- тели́ться (telítʹsja)to give birth to a calf
Swedish kalva
- kalvato give birth to a calf
Tamil கன்றுபோடு
- கன்றுபோடு (kaṉṟupōṭu)to give birth to a calf
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with calve
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
calve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calve
“calve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calve. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calve,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calve.
Source: calve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.