humbert@ihlpa.UUCP (shachter) (05/07/85)
Farmers, like members of all professions, use specialized terms to denote various objects of interest. For example, I call an animal a `horse'. A farmer will call it a `mare' or a `stallion' or a `colt' or a `filly' or a `nag' or a `dray', etc. Sometimes the precise meaning of these terms escapes the uninformed. My dictionary, for example, claims than a `steer' and an `ox' are both castrated bulls; but there must be some difference between a steer and an ox (perhaps the age at which castration occurred). Now my question: What term, if any, denotes a bull used specifically for plowing? I know that nowadays farmers in the United States plow with tractors, not with animals; but perhaps someone who comes from Eastern Europe or some other backward region could tell me about bulls used for plowing. Alternately, perhaps someone in an industrially advanced country whose grandparents farmed could obtain the word from his grandparents. I do not think this item is of universal interest, so please direct replies personally to me (...ihnp4!ihlpa!humbert). Thank you in advance for your help. jfs