cattle a collective term which covers animals in the genus Bos of the family Bovidae, including Bos taurus, the domesticated European animal which is the source of beef; but also B. indicus, the humped zebu cattle of Africa and India, B. javanicus, the banteng of Indonesia, B. frontalis, the mithan or gayal of Assam and Nepal (a domesticated descendant of the wild gaur). These are all domesticated animals, as is the water-buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, for which the term cattle is also applicable. See also bison; buffalo; yak.
