
calving
词源
源自古英语 'cealfian'(生产小牛),与古诺尔斯语 'kálfr'(小牛)同源,最终源自原始日耳曼语 *kalbaz。
noun
❶ 指母牛或某些大型哺乳动物(如鲸鱼)生产幼崽的过程,特指分娩行为本身。
“The farmer assisted with the calving of his prize dairy cow.”
(农场主协助他获奖的奶牛完成了分娩。)
“Calving season usually occurs in early spring for most cattle.”
(大多数牛群的产犊季节通常在早春。)
❶ 冰川学中指冰川前端断裂,大块冰体分离坠入海洋的现象。
“The loud noise signaled a major calving event at the glacier.”
(巨大的声响标志着冰川发生了一次重大崩解。)
“Satellite images captured the calving of an iceberg the size of Manhattan.”
(卫星图像记录了一个曼哈顿大小的冰山崩离过程。)
verb
❶ 指母牛生产小牛的行为,也可用于其他大型动物分娩。
“The heifer is expected to calve next Tuesday.”
(这头小母牛预计下周二产犊。)
“Whales often return to warm waters to calve.”
(鲸鱼常回到温暖水域生产幼崽。)
常见短语
calving interval — 指两次产犊之间的时间间隔,是畜牧业重要繁殖指标。
“Improving calving interval can significantly increase farm productivity.”
(缩短产犊间隔能显著提高农场生产力。)
calving pen — 专门为母牛分娩准备的隔离畜栏,配备必要助产设施。
“All pregnant cows are moved to the calving pen two weeks before due date.”
(所有怀孕母牛会在预产期前两周被转移到产房。)