Meanings
nounspherical cow (plural spherical cows)
plural spherical cows
- humorousA highly simplified scientific model of a complex real-life phenomenon.
[…] something of a "spherical cow" approximation of dark matter.
Csaba Csaki (ed.), Scott Dodelson (ed.), Physics of the Large and the Small: TASI 09, Proceedings of the Theoretical Advanced Study Institute in Elementary Particle Physics (page 405)Synonyms: spherical chicken
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA highly simplified scientific model of a complex real-life phenomenon.
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APA
spherical cow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spherical%20cow
MLA
“spherical cow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spherical%20cow. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spherical cow,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spherical%20cow.
Source: spherical cow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.