# ox / bull



## kusurija

Hi, all!
I wonder, how You are saying these words in Your respective languages. The difference is that ox is castrate of a bull (_Bos taurus_ in Latin)
In English: 
ox _or_ bullock (castrate)
bull (not castrated)

In German:
ox - Ochse
bull - Bulle

In Czech: (_Bos taurus _= tur domácí)
ox - vůl(sg.) voli(pl.)
bull - býk(sg.), býci(pl.)

In Slovak: 
ox - vôl
bull - býk, bujak

In Lithuanian: (_Bos taurus _= galvijas)
ox - jautis(sg.), jaučiai(pl.)
bull - bulius(sg.), buliai(pl.)

In Japanese:
ox - 去勢牛(kyose:ushi)
bull - 雄牛(oushi)
Thanks for answers. Lucky day to all.


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## Outsider

In Portuguese:
ox - boi
bull - touro/toiro

In Spanish:
ox - buey
bull - toro

In French:
ox - bœuf
bull - taureau

I don't understand what you mean by the _Bos taurus_ in parenthesis.


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## irene.acler

In *Italian*:
ox - bue (singlular) / buoi (plural)
bull - toro (singular) / tori (plural)


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## valdo

In *Latvian*:

ox - vērsis
bull - bullis


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## robbie_SWE

In Romanian: 

ox = *bou* 
bull = *taur*

In Swedish:

ox = *oxe*
bull = *tjur*

 robbie


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## kusurija

valdo said:


> In *Latvian*:
> 
> ox - vērsis
> bull - bullis


Hi, Valdo!
ox = vērsis in Latvian, really? How do You say calf in Latvian then?
In Lithuanian veršis = calf, so I'm a little bit confused...

OUTSIDER: 





> I don't understand what you mean by the _Bos taurus_ in parenthesis.


_Bos taurus_ in parenthesis is scientific name in Latin. It means all of domestic cow species (cattle) without regard to sex, age and so on.


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## Frank06

Hi,

In Dutch:
ox: os
bull: stier

Groetjes,

Frank


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## ukuca

Turkish:
ox = *öküz*
bull = *boğa*


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## Hakro

In Finnish: (_Bos taurus _= *nauta*)
 ox - *härkä* (not necessarily castrated)
 bull - *sonni* (especially if used for breeding)


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## Outsider

> ox - [...] (not necessarily castrated)
> bull - [...] (especially if used for breeding)


Although I did not say so above, Hakro's notes apply to Portuguese as well.


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## Flaminius

kusurija said:
			
		

> In Japanese:
> ox - 去勢牛(kyose:ushi)
> bull - 雄牛(oushi)


If you are looking for the word for he-cattle used for breeding, I prefer 種牛 (tane ushi: seed cattle) to 雄牛 (which is literally a he-cattle).

On a more theoretical level, I doubt if Japanese does not lack equivalents for ox and bull.  As you can see, all words listed here are secondary derivatives from the root _ushi_ (cattle) and other morphemes meaning a he-animal, castrated and so on.

Respected dairy farmers may disagree but I seldom need to use these words except for _ushi_ for all purposes where other languages require more fastidious distinctions.

Note:
I used cattle as an English equivalent of _ushi_ here but the latter is a countable noun.


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*, the general term for _Bos taurus_ is _*bovo*_. If more specificity is required, the following words can be used:

bull (male): _*virbovo, taŭro*_
steer, ox, bullock (castrated male): _*ekstaŭro, okso*_
cow (female): _*bovino*_
calf (baby): _*bovido*_


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## bb3ca201

ox - an damh
bull - an tarbh


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## AkErBeLtZ

In Basque:
ox - *idia
*bull - *zezena*


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## Kanes

In Bulgarian:
ox - bivol
bull - bik


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## kusurija

Kanes said:


> In Bulgarian:
> ox - bivol
> bull - bik


 
ox - bivol: Wow, how interesting!
In Czech buvol(_Bubalus bubalis_ = Latin) is water buffalo, not _Bos taurus_
How do You write it in Your letters - cyrilica?

Thanks a *lot* for answers Kanes and all other, who responded!


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## Kanes

Sorry, I think I made a mistake with the definition of ox, we consider watter buffalo a kind of ox too...

Вол - ox
Бивол - water buffalo
Бизон - buffalo
Бик - bull


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## apmoy70

Greek:

Ox: *«Βόδι»* [ˈvɔ.ði] (neut.) < Byzantine Greek neuter diminutive *«βόδι(ο)ν» bódi(o)n* of Classical 3rd declension masc. noun *«βοῦς» boûs* (nom. sing.), *«βοός» bŏós* (gen. sing.) from PIE *gʷeh₃-u- _cow_ (old IE word retained in many languages: Skt. गु (gu), Lat. bōs, OHG chuo, Old Saxon kō, OIr. bó etc.).

Bull: *«Ταύρος»* [ˈtav.rɔs] (masc.) < Classical masc. *«ταῦρος» taû̯rŏs* identical with Lat. taurus, Lith. taūras, _aurochs_ etc; either from a possible PIE *teh₃u-ro- or -due to comparable forms found in Semitic (Akk. šūru, Aram. tōr)- a loan, either from IE into Semitic or vice versa, or from a third common source.

Buffalo: *«Βούβαλος»* [ˈvu.va.lɔs] (masc.), or colloq. *«βουβάλι»* [vuˈva.li] (neut.) < Byzantine Gr. neuter diminutive *«βουβάλι(ο)ν» boubáli(o)n* of the Classical masc. *«βούβαλος» boúbălŏs* or 3rd declension fem. *«βούβαλις» boúbălĭs* (nom. sing.), *«βουβάλι(δ)ος» boubắlĭ(d)ŏs* (gen. sing.); the word seems to derive from *«βοῦς»* but this is rather a secondary association as the formation is unclear. It was borrowed as Lat. būbalus, whence OFr. bufle, Eng. buffalo.


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## Dymn

*Catalan*:

ox - _bou_
bull - _toro_


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## Sardokan1.0

*Sardinian :*

_*ox *- _*boe *(northern Sardinian) - _*boi *_(southern Sardinian)
_*bull *- *trau*_

*P.S.*
In Sardinian there is also a probable cognate of the English "bull" and it's "bulu" which can be traslated as "bovine". It's the contraction of Latin "bubulus" -> bubulu -> bu(bu)lu. 

_Bubulus = adjective_ of/connected with cattle; bull's/cow's/ox-; consisting of cattle; of ox-hide.


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## Torontal

ukuca said:


> Turkish:
> ox = *öküz*
> bull = *boğa*



Hungarian:

ox = *ökör*
bull = *bika*

As it is easily recognizable, they are Turkic origin (from a Chuvash/Bulgar/Oghur/Lir Turkic language).

buffalo = *bivaly *(from a Slavic language)


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## oveka

Ukrainian:
бик (young), віл ==(castrate)
бугай, стадник, тур (wild) ==(not castrated)


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## Penyafort

Dymn said:


> *Catalan*:
> 
> ox - _bou_
> bull - _toro_



I agree with *toro *(and also *brau*) being used exclusively for the not castrated. Hence the name *plaça de toros/plaça de braus* for the bullrings. (_Toro_, by the way, being a natural evolution from Old Catalan _taur _and not a loanword from Spanish, as some would say)

But in theory, *bou* is a general term, even if most of us use it for the castrated beast of burden. This is why most proverbs and idioms are with _bou_, or why Southern Catalonians and Valencians still use _bou _for the bull (_correbous_, _bous al carrer_, etc).


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## nimak

*Macedonian*

ox - *вол* [vol]; _pl._ волови [volovi]
bull - *бик* [bik]; _pl._ бикови [bikovi]


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