cattle Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
    cows; kine; oxen; Bos taurus.
    • so many head of cattle
    • wait till the cows come home
    • seven thin and ill-favored kine"- Bible
    • a team of oxen

WordNet

Cat"tle noun plural
Etymology
OE. calet, chatel, goods, property, OF. catel, chatel, LL. captale, capitale, goods, property, esp. cattle, fr. L. capitals relating to the head, chief; because in early ages beasts constituted the chief part of a man's property. See Capital, and cf. Chattel.
Definitions
  1. Quadrupeds of the Bovine family; sometimes, also, including all domestic quadrupeds, as sheep, goats, horses, mules, asses, and swine.

Webster 1913