mad cow

noun

Mad cow disease; bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

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Meanings

nounmad cow (usually uncountable, plural mad cows)

plural mad cows

  1. uncountableusuallyby ellipsisMad cow disease; bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
  2. countableusuallyA cow afflicted with mad cow disease.
  3. uncountableusuallyUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mad, cow.

Origin

Ellipsis of mad cow disease.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French vache folle, maladie de la vache folle
  • vache follecow afflicted with mad cow disease
  • maladie de la vache follemad cow disease
  • vache follemad cow disease
Cite this entry
APA

mad cow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mad%20cow

MLA

“mad cow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mad%20cow. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mad cow,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mad%20cow.

Source: mad cow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.