cowsense

C3O1W4S1E1N1S1E1

noun

An instinctive ability to work well with cattle.

Scrabble 13

Meanings

nouncowsense (uncountable)

alternative cow-sense · alternative cow sense

  1. uncountableAn instinctive ability to work well with cattle.

    Belsky horses all had inborn cowsense as did the old-type Spanish cowpony.

    1991, Kathleen Rauschl Ward, The American Horse: From Conquistadors to the 21st Century, page 10
    3 more examples

    The data tabulated from the replies on the question blanks show in general that there must be a co-ordination of all the factors conducive to the production of high quality milk, coupled with good sound “cowsense” on the part of the herdsman, to produce milk that will score 90 or above.

    1916, American Produce Review - Volume 41, page 919

    He is uneducated, but possesses a quality too many of our college boys lack, viz., “cowsense” and stable experience.

    1918, Jersey Bulletin - Volume 37, Issue 1, page 866

    Quannah was a handsome horse, well put up, with disposition and cowsense galore.

    1975, Jan Haddle, The Complete Book of the Appaloosa, page 157
  2. uncountableIntelligence on the part of a cattle beast.

    The Longhorn cow remained to become the founder of an empire. She matched wits with the wilderness, met claw and fang with horns and cowsense.

    1975, Orville K. Sweet, Birth of a Breed: The History of Polled Herefords, page 2

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷṓws
  2. Proto-Germanic*kōz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*kō
  4. Old Englishcū
  5. Middle Englishcow
  6. Englishcow
  7. Proto-Indo-European*sent-
  8. Proto-Italic*sentiō
  9. Latinsentiō
  10. Latinsēnsu
  11. Proto-Germanic*sinnaz
  12. Frankish*sinn
  13. Vulgar Latin*sennus
  14. Old Frenchsens
  15. Middle Englishsense
  16. Englishsense
  17. Englishcowsense

From cow + sense.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cowsense. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowsense

MLA

“cowsense.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowsense. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cowsense,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowsense.

Source: cowsense on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.