heifer:小母牛;未产过犊的母牛(通常指尚未生育的年轻母牛)。
/ˈhɛfər/
A heifer is a young female cow that hasn’t had a calf yet.
小母牛是指还没有生过小牛的年轻母牛。
The farmer kept the heifer in a separate pen to monitor her health and prepare her for breeding later in the season.
农夫把这头小母牛单独关在围栏里,以便观察健康状况,并为季节后期的配种做准备。
heifer 来自古英语 hēahfore / hēafer(指小母牛),与日耳曼语系中表示“母牛/小牛”的词有渊源。现代拼写与发音在历史演变中发生分化:拼写保留了较早形式的痕迹,而读音简化为 /ˈhɛfər/。