oxen

Castrated draft cattle

Oxen is the plural of ox—castrated male cattle used as draft animals.

The word preserves an old English plural form, like children or men.

Oxen pulled plows and wagons for millennia before mechanized farming: a team of oxen, slow as an ox.

The singular ox can also refer to any bovine generally.

draft

plow

Tool for turning soil

  • harnessStraps controlling an animal
  • yokeCrosspiece binding draft animals
  • cartVehicle for hauling

wagon · haul · pull · traction · burden · load · beast of burden · teamster · dray · freight

symbolism

yoke

Crosspiece binding draft animals

toil · labor · patience · sacrifice · biblical · Luke · Babe · Paul Bunyan · zodiac · Taurus

herd

drove

Operated a vehicle

  • teamOrganized cooperative unit
  • pairTwo matching things
  • spanDistance between endpoints

grazing · range · stampede · flock · gathering · group · cluster · drove · mob · stockman

bovine

cattle

Domesticated bovines kept commercially

  • bullSteer before castration
  • cowFemale bovine
  • steerDirect movement or castrated bull

heifer · calf · buffalo · bison · livestock · ungulate · ruminant · mammal · hoofed · domesticated

farming

pasture

Grazing ground for livestock

  • barnAgricultural storage structure
  • fodderCoarse livestock nourishment
  • grainCereal plant's harvest unit

hay · farmer · agriculture · husbandry · rural · homestead · acre · field · manure · graze

strength

powerful

Having great strength

brawn · endurance · stamina · slow · steady · patient · tireless · strong · reliable · dependable

plurals

irregular

Deviating from normal patterns

  • menAdult male humans
  • teethEnamel-covered chewing structures
  • feetLower limbs' ends

mice · geese · children · women · criteria · alumni · nuclei · fungi · datum · medium

Categories
Opposites
domestication status

oxenaurochs

Extinct wild cattle species

bison · buffalo · water buffalo

working vs. non-working animals

oxenbeef cattle

Livestock raised for meat

dairy cows · show cattle · steers · heifers

animal power source

oxentractors

Agricultural pulling machines

machines · engines · trucks · combines · steam engines

Phrases
Family

ox, oxbow, oxtail, oxcart

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G