calve

English

calve (third-person singular simple present calves , present participle calving , simple past and past participle calved )

(intransitive ) To give birth to a calf.
The farmer could tell Bessie was about to calve.
(intransitive ) To assist in a cow’s giving birth to a calf.
The farmer calved Bessie for almost two hours.
(transitive ) To give birth to (a calf).
(intransitive , figuratively , especially of an ice shelf, a glacier, an ice sheet, or iceberg ) To shed a large piece.
The glacier was starting to calve even as we watched.
(intransitive , figuratively , especially of an iceberg ) To break off.
The sea was dangerous because of icebergs calving off the nearby glacier.
(transitive , figuratively , especially of an ice shelf, a glacier, an ice sheet, or iceberg ) To shed (a large piece); to set loose (a mass of ice).
The glacier was starting to calve an iceberg even as we watched.

Derived terms

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Related terms

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Translations

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to give birth to a calf

Bulgarian: отелвам се (otelvam se)
Catalan: vedellar (ca)
Czech: otelit se pf, telit se impf
Danish: kælve (da)
Dutch: kalven (nl)
Esperanto: naski bovidon
Faroese: kálva
Finnish: vasikoida (fi) , poikia (fi)
French: vêler (fr) , mettre bas (fr)
German: kalben (de)
Ingrian: poikiissa , poikia , poikihua , poikihussa
Norwegian:
Bokmål: kalve (no)

Nynorsk: kalva , kalve
Polish: cielić się (pl) impf, ocielić się pf
Russian: тели́ться (ru) (telítʹsja)
Sorbian:
Upper Sorbian: ćelić , woćelić so , ćelećić (rare)
Swedish: kalva (sv)
Tamil: கன்றுபோடு (kaṉṟupōṭu)
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: بوغالامق (boğalamak) (of a cow); كوشكلمك (köşeklemek) (of a camel)

to assist in a cow's giving birth to a calf

Dutch: helpen met het kalven
Finnish: vasikoida (fi)
French: aider le vêlage
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: بوغالامق (boğalamak)

to give birth to (a calf)

Dutch: ter wereld brengen
French: mettre bas (fr)
German: werfen (de)

to shed a large piece

Danish: kælve (da)
Dutch: afkalven (nl)
Finnish: poikia (fi)
French: se fragmenter , se scinder (fr) , se morceler , se casser (fr) , se fractionner (fr) , se briser (fr)
German: kalben (de)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: kalve (no)

to break off

to shed, set loose (a mass of ice)

Danish: kælve (da)
French: perdre (fr) , abandonner (fr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked