bovids

IPA/ˈbəʊ.vɪd/
IPA/ˈboʊ.vɪd/

bovids — noun

  • bovidssingular
  • bovidsesplural

1. a mammal that belongs to the same biological family as cattle — a group whose me

1.nounC2
Definition

a mammal that belongs to the same biological family as cattle — a group whose members all have hollow, permanent horns that grow throughout their lives and are never shed, including sheep, goats, and antelopes

Example

Ingrid learned that antelopes and sheep both belong to the bovids.

pattern: belong to the bovids

At the wildlife reserve, Tendai photographed several bovids grazing near the waterhole.

Common collocations
  • classified as bovids
  • bovids such as cattle and sheep
  • the bovids include
  • belong to the bovids
  • member of the bovids

Grammar Patterns

bovids include

classified as bovids

belong to the bovids

Usage Note

Singular form 'bovid' exists but is uncommon; speakers almost always use the plural 'bovids' even when referring to a single member of the family.

Common Mistakes

Deer are bovids because they have horns.
Deer are not bovids
they grow solid antlers that fall off and regrow each year, while bovids keep the same hollow horns for life.' — the key difference is that bovid horns are permanent and hollow; deer antlers are solid and shed annually.

Word family

  • bovid
    nounC2
  • bovine
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bovids are one family within the wider group of ruminants — mammals that chew their cud and have multi-chambered stomachs. Ruminants also include deer (cervids), giraffes, and camels. The key distinction: bovids alone have hollow horns that grow continuously and are never shed; cervids grow solid antlers that they shed and regrow each year. Ungulates is a broader category covering all hoofed mammals, including horses (which are not ruminants at all). So every bovid is a ruminant and an ungulate, but a moose is a cervid, not a bovid. A bison grazing in Yellowstone is a bovid; a white-tailed deer is not.

ruminantscervidsungulates

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • member of the bovids
  • belong to the bovids

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinScientific LatinEnglish

From the scientific Latin family name Bovidae, coined in the 19th century. It combines Latin bos (meaning 'ox' or 'cow') with the suffix -idae, which taxonomists use to name animal families. The root bov- appears in several English words related to cattle, such as bovine and beef.

First known use

1889

1889, in the meaning defined above