calve

/kɑːv/

//kɑːv// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"calve" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“calve” is an uncommon English word, ranked #99,070 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#99,070
frequency rank, English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give birth to a calf.

Key facts for calve
PropertyValue
Headwordcalve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɑːv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#99,070
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “calve” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). calve lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for calve is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɑːv/. Corpus data places it at rank #99,070 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for calve in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, German kalbe… The correct English form is calve, spelled C-A-L-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give birth to a calf.
  2. 2
    To assist in a cow’s giving birth to a calf.
  3. 3
    To give birth to (a calf).
  4. 4
    To shed a large piece, e.g. an iceberg or a smaller block of ice (coming off an iceberg).
  5. 5
    To break off.
  6. 6
    To shed (a large piece, e.g. an iceberg); to set loose (a mass of ice), e.g. a block of ice (coming off an iceberg).

Etymology

From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, German kalben, Swedish kalva, Icelandic kálfa.

This word in other languages

vêler(Français)kalben(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "calve"?
"calve" is spelled C-A-L-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑːv/.
What does "calve" mean?
As a verb, "calve" means: To give birth to a calf.
How do you pronounce "calve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "calve" is /kɑːv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "calve"?
From Middle English calven, from Old English *calfian, cealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *kalbōn, from Proto-Germanic *kalbōną (“to calve”), from *kalbaz (“calf”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian koolvje, Dutch kalven, German Low German kalven, Ge... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “calve”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɑːv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list