# cattle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkætəl/ · frequency rank #5,582

## Definitions
1. Domesticated animal of the species Bos taurus (cows, bulls, steers, oxen etc), and other hoofed mammals of the genus Bos.
2. Certain other livestock, such as sheep, pigs or goats. Also rarely applied to horses.
3. People who resemble domesticated bovine animals in behavior or destiny.
4. chattel
5. Used in restricted contexts to refer to the meat derived from cattle.

## Etymology
From Middle English catel, from Anglo-Norman catel (“personal property”), from Old Northern French (compare French cheptel, Old French chetel, chatel, also English chattel) from Medieval Latin capitāle, from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (whence also capital, from caput (“head”) + -alis (“-al”)). For the sense evolution, compare pecuniary and fee. Also compare Russian поголо́вье (pogolóvʹje, “total number of livestock”) from Russian голова́ (golová, “head”). Doublet of capital and chattel.

## Easily confused with
- **catty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cattle-vs-catty)
- **cate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cate-vs-cattle)
- **cable** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cable-vs-cattle)
- **caste** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caste-vs-cattle)
- **carte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carte-vs-cattle)
- **castle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/castle-vs-cattle)
- **candle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/candle-vs-cattle)
- **Carole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carole-vs-cattle)
- **Castile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/castile-vs-cattle)

## Common misspellings (7)
`acttle`, `catle`, `catlte`, `cattel`, `cattlle`, `ccattle`, `ctatle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cattle