Cowheards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who tend and oversee bovine animals ; persons responsible for guiding and caring for cattle in pastures ; people engaged in the daily management of cows in rural or agricultural settings
2. People whose occupation involves watching over herds of cattle ; those tending bovines and ensuring their well-being on farms or open ranges ; workers who look after cows in fields or grazing lands
3. Persons tasked with guarding, moving, and maintaining groups of cows ; individuals engaged in controlling and caring for domestic cattle ; herders devoted to the supervision and protection of bovine animals

Etymology: "Cowheards" is simply the plural of "cowheard," a noun for a person who tends cattle. The singular is formed from "cow," the Old English "cū," and "herd," which in its older sense meant a keeper or guardian of animals, as in "shepherd" (sheep-herd). The word therefore reads literally as "cow-keeper," with the second element naming the person who watches over the herd rather than the herd itself.

Synonyms: cowherds, herdsmen, cattlemen, herders, ranchers