ox Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an adult castrated bull of the genus Bos; especially Bos taurus
  2. noun any of various wild bovines especially of the genera Bos or closely related Bibos
    wild ox.

WordNet

Ox noun
Etymology
AS. oxa; akin to D. os. G. ochs, ochse, OHG. ohso, Icel. oxi, Sw. & Dan. oxe, Goth. aúhsa, Skr. ukshan ox, bull; cf. Skr. uksh to sprinkle. Cf. Humid, Aurochs.
Wordforms
plural Oxen
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The male of bovine quadrupeds, especially the domestic animal when castrated and grown to its full size, or nearly so. The word is also applied, as a general name, to any species of bovine animals, male and female.
    All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field. Ps. viii. 7.
    ✍ The castrated male is called a steer until it attains its full growth, and then, an ox; but if castrated somewhat late in life, it is called a stag. The male, not castrated, is called a bull. These distinctions are well established in regard to domestic animals of this genus. When wild animals of this kind are spoken of, ox is often applied both to the male and the female. The name ox is never applied to the individual cow, or female, of the domestic kind. Oxen may comprehend both the male and the female.

Webster 1913