beef — the flesh of a bull, cow, or other bovine used as food
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the flesh of a bull, cow, or other bovine used as food
Pronunciation (IPA): /biːf/
Example Sentences
- My vegetarian friend has a serious beef with people who eat beef.
- The security company decided to beef up their patrol schedule.
- He's always beefing about something - today it's the coffee machine.
beef
NOUN[/biːf/]
the flesh of a bull, cow, or other bovine used as food
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Beef derives from Old French 'boef', which came from Latin 'bos' meaning 'ox' or 'cattle'. Following the Norman Conquest, French vocabulary entered English, creating a linguistic class distinction where the living animal retained its Anglo-Saxon name 'cow', while the prepared meat took the French term 'beef'.
Breakdown
Old French 'boef' from Latin 'bos' (ox, cattle). The word entered Middle English after Norman influence and underwent regular phonetic changes to become modern English 'beef'.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My vegetarian friend has a serious beef with people who eat beef.”
“The security company decided to beef up their patrol schedule.”
“He's always beefing about something - today it's the coffee machine.”
“Where's the beef? I ordered a hamburger, not a bread sandwich!”
📚Related Words
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