What is the Plural of Cattle and Other Bovine Curiosities

The English language can be quite peculiar at times, with many words and their plurals defying clear and straightforward rules. One such case is the term cattle. Let's delve into the intricacies of the word and explore its usage.

The Plurals of Other Common Words

First, let's look at some of the more familiar plural forms:

The plural of word is words. The plural of cow is cows. The plural of bus is buses. The plural of leopard is leopards.

Most words form their plurals by adding an -s or -es to the end, reflecting the French influence on the language. However, there are some older Anglo-Saxon words that end in -en, particularly those related to bovine animals.

Oxen and Other Bovine Plurals

A good example of this is the word ox. Unlike many other words, ox forms its plural by adding -en, making it oxen. Other words that follow this pattern include:

sow (plural is swine) cow (plural is kine, though this is rare and usually cows is used) man (plural is men) child (plural is children)

Note that oxen has a special status as a collective noun, and the term cattle is used similarly to refer to a group of bovine animals, both male and female.

The Word "Cattle"

Cattle is a non-count noun, which means it does not have a singular or plural form in the strict sense. Instead, cattle refers to any number of bovine animals, whether male or female. When referring to multiple male cattle, they are referred to as bulls, and multiple female cattle are cows. However, cattle can also be used as a general term to refer to both genders of bovine animals in a group.

Sheep and Other Exceptional Cases

Unlike cattle, sheep is both singular and plural, similar to another collective noun, fish. However, even among sheep, the individual animals can have different names depending on age and gender:

Male sheep are called rams or ewes. Female sheep are called ewes. A group of sheep can be referred to as a sheepe or a ewe.

Finding the Singular of Singular Words

While we've established that cattle is plural, it's worth noting that the singular term for oxen is simply ox. This highlights another peculiarity of the English language, where some nouns that are plural by nature have a singular form with a different meaning or usage.

The term cattle has its roots in a 23rd century usage, originally referring to any kind of animal stock, including livestock. Over time, its meaning shifted to specifically refer to domesticated bovine animals.

In summary, cattle is a unique plural term, reflecting the language's complex history and the non-standard nature of some nouns. Understanding these nuances can help in navigating the often confusing world of English plurals.