Questions about terms for animals and their accoutrements
-2
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1answer
72 views
What are the most well-understood vocal animal languages? [closed]
Just as the Bee dance, for a "language", I mean that there are vocal pattens.
In the nature, there are many intelligent animals like human beings.
Bird songs, whale songs, dogs?
In fact, bird ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the difference between “rooster” vs. “cock” and “hen” vs. “chicken”?
When I was small and started to study English, I had pictures labelled cock, hen and chicken.
Now when I search the net for pictures to show my children, I see the same pictures, but this time they ...
10
votes
4answers
529 views
Do words for male animals include those which are castrated?
English has distinct words for the male and female of many common animal species. For example, we have bull / cow, rooster / hen, ram / ewe, stallion / mare, boar / sow, man / woman.
However, we ...
33
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do I give my pets “food” but my livestock “feed”?
When I feed my cat or my dog, the package tends to say "Dog Food" or "Cat Food."
In contrast, I give my chickens "chicken feed" or "poultry feed." Likewise, a cow's silage is her "feed."
Why does ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Looking for a word for a rodent [closed]
I am looking for a name of a rodent. It is two words of three letters each. The rodent is somehow related to the rat and guinea pig and "it is not white coated despite its name". The question comes ...
6
votes
1answer
300 views
Etymology of “duck”
Etymonline and wiktionary don't seem to agree on that one.
Many European languages have cognates (Ente, anatra, eend), but duck seems isolated. Where does English take duck from?
Edit
As Henry ...
3
votes
2answers
227 views
Animalisms… What other terms derive from parts of an animal, like 'wing it', or 'hoof it'? [closed]
The question " Past tense of "to wing"? " got me thinking about terms we use in the English language that derive from parts of an animal, especially verbs or verb phrases, like 'wing it' or ...
