# ovine

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈəʊvaɪn/

## Definitions
1. Of, being, pertaining to, or resembling a sheep; also, (not comparable) of an animal: from the genus Ovis.
2. Resembling a sheep in character; acquiescent, easily influenced, passive, or willing to follow a leader blindly.

## Etymology
The adjective is borrowed from Late Latin ovīnus (“ovine”) + English -ine (suffix with the sense ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Ovīnus is derived from Latin ovis (“sheep”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis (“sheep”), possibly from *h₂ew- (“to clothe oneself, dress; to be dressed”) in the sense of something that provides woollen clothing) + -īnus (suffix with the sense ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). By surface analysis, ove- + -ine.
The noun is derived from the adjective.

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