Ewe Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

ewe 1 American [yoo, yoh] / yu, yoʊ /

noun

1. a female sheep, especially when fully mature.

Ewe 2 American [ey-vey, ey-wey] / ˈeɪ veɪ, ˈeɪ weɪ /

noun

1. a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

2. the Kwa language spoken by the Ewe people.

ewe 1 British / juː /

noun

1. 1. a female sheep

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ewe lamb

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Ewe 2 British / ˈɛwɛ /

noun

1. a member of a Negroid people of W Africa living chiefly in the forests of E Ghana, Togo, and Benin

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ewe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ēowu, ēwe; cognate with Old High German ou, ouwi, Dutch ooi, Latin ovis, Greek óïs, oîs, Sanskrit ávi

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There are now 14.7 million breeding ewes in the UK - the lowest figure in living memory according to Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association.

From BBC

Bryony said the situation was time critical for her pregnant ewes, especially those having twins which need to start having additional concentrated food soon.

From BBC

Jill Turner, from Brora, was convinced it was the same ewe she had seen about two years before and its plight quickly captured the world's attention.

From BBC

The ewes give birth on the U.S. side in the winter and spring, then cross into Mexico to seek water in the punishing summer.

From Los Angeles Times

Having grown up in a family of self-sufficient farmers, Ben was no stranger to being knee deep in manure, or helping his father birth a rotting lamb from inside an ewe.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.