calf 1 (k?f, käf)n. pl. calves (k?vz, kävz) 1. a. A young cow or bull.b. One of the young of certain other mammals, such as moose, elephants, or whales.2. Calfskin leather.3. A large floating chunk of ice split off from a glacier, iceberg, or floe.4. An awkward, callow youth.[Middle English, from Old English cealf.]calf 2 (k?f, käf)n. pl. calves (k?vz, kävz) The fleshy muscular back part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.[Middle English, from Old Norse k?lfi; possibly akin to calf (from its shape).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.calf (k??f) n, pl calves1. (Zoology) the young of cattle, esp domestic cattle. 2. (Zoology) the young of certain other mammals, such as the buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and whale3. (Geological Science) a large piece of floating ice detached from an iceberg, etc4. kill the fatted calf to celebrate lavishly, esp as a welcome5. (Tanning) another name for calfskin[Old English cealf; related to Old Norse k?lfr, Gothic kalb?, Old High German kalba]calf (k??f) n, pl calves (Anatomy) the thick fleshy part of the back of the leg between the ankle and the knee. [C14: from Old Norse kalfi]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014calf1 (kæf, k?f) n., pl. calves (kavz, kävz). 1. the young of the domestic cow or other bovine animal. 2. the young of certain other mammals, as the elephant, seal, and whale. 3. calfskin leather. 4. Informal. an awkward, silly boy or man. 5. a mass of ice detached from a glacier, iceberg, or floe. [before 900; Old English cealf, calf] calf2 (kæf, k?f) n., pl. calves (kavz, kävz). the fleshy part of the back of the human leg below the knee. [1275?1325;