An archaic or dialectal term for a bovine animal or cattle brute; a stupid or brutish person associated with cattle.
From 'cow' (Old English 'cu') plus 'brute' (from Latin 'brutus' meaning senseless or animal-like). A compound insulting human or animal character.
Medieval and early modern English often combined 'cow' or 'ox' with insulting words—'cow' itself was an insult suggesting stupidity, showing how language reflects what we think of different animals.
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