1.77 USAGE NOTE

Most names of animals are used to refer to both male and female animals, for example 'cat', 'elephant', 'horse', 'monkey', and 'sheep'.

In some cases there are different words that refer specifically to male animals or female animals, for example a male horse is a 'stallion' and a female horse is a 'mare'.

In other cases the general name for the animal is also the specific word for males or females: 'dog' also refers more specifically to male dogs, 'duck' also refers more specifically to female ducks.

Many of these specific words are rarely used, or used mainly by people who have a special interest in animals, such as farmers or vets.

Here is a list of some common specific words for male and female animals:

• stallion, mare, --- , cow, bull, --- , cock, hen, --- , dog, bitch, --- , duck, drake, --- , fox, vixen, --- , goose, gander, --- , lion, lioness, --- , ram, ewe, --- , buck, hind, stag, doe, --- , tiger, tigress, --- , boar, sow