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Fawn vs Calf - What's the difference?

fawn | calf |

As nouns the difference between fawn and calf

is that fawn is a young deer while calf is a young cow or bull.

As an adjective fawn

is of the fawn colour.

As a verb fawn

is to give birth to a fawn.

fawn

English

(wikipedia fawn)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) faon.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A young deer.
  • A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.
  • (obsolete) The young of an animal; a whelp.
  • * Holland
    • [The tigress] after her fawns .

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of the fawn colour.
    • Derived terms
    * fawn lily

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To give birth to a fawn.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) fawnen, from (etyl) fahnian, fagnian, . See also fain.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
  • To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on'' or ''upon ).
  • * Shakespeare
    • You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds.
  • * Milton
    • Thou with trembling fear, / Or like a fawning parasite, obeyest.
  • * Macaulay
    • courtiers who fawn on a master while they betray him
  • *
    • , title=The Mirror and the Lamp , chapter=2 citation , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.}}
  • (of a dog) To wag its tail, to show devotion.
    • Synonyms
    * (seek favour by flattery) grovel, wheedle
    Derived terms
    * fawn over

    See also

    *

    References

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    calf

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) cealf, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A young cow or bull.
  • Leather made of the skin of the calf; especially, a fine, light-coloured leather used in bookbinding.
  • A young elephant, seal or whale (also used of some other animals).
  • A chunk of ice broken off of a larger glacier, ice shelf, or iceberg.
    • (Kane)
  • A small island, near a larger island.
    • the Calf of Man
  • A cabless railroad engine.
  • (informal, dated) An awkward or silly boy or young man; any silly person; a dolt.
  • * Drayton
    • some silly, doting, brainless calf
    Synonyms
    *
    Derived terms
    * * * *
    Related terms
    *
    See also
    * cow * veal

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) kalfi, possibly derived from the same Germanic root as ().

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (anatomy) The back of the leg below the knee.
  • The muscle in the back of the leg below the knee.
  • * 1988 , Steve Holman, "Christian Conquers Columbus", , 47 (6): 28-34.
    • Sure, his calves are a little weak, but the rest of his physique is so overwhelming, he should place high.
    (-)

    Anagrams

    * English nouns with irregular plurals English terms with multiple etymologies ----