Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2017 August 11

= August 11 =

Is a heifer a nulliparous cow or virgin cow?
Dairy cows are probably not heifers, because they have borne a calf to produce milk. A young female cow is called a heifer. Does that mean that the cow hasn't been artificially or naturally inseminated by a bull, or does it mean that it has never given birth? 140.254.70.33 (talk) 22:22, 11 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Heifer says: "A young cow before she has had her first calf." Martinevans123 (talk) 22:25, 11 August 2017 (UTC)


 * There is no such thing as a word for a cow that has been inseminated but just not took. But see freemartin. μηδείς (talk) 02:03, 12 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Is there a word for any living entity that/who is not a virgin? --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:45, 12 August 2017 (UTC)
 * The term virgin is really a cultural one. What would you say about an amoeba that has divided?  Plants and fungi don't mate the way some Bilateria do.  What about an creature that has produced gametes or spores, of whose fate we are ignorant?  What about self-fertilizing hermaphrodites or dioecious plants?  And angiosperm reproduction proves God was on acid.  What about organisms that send out buds, runners, or other types of clones?  The term parous can be used as meaning having reproduced sexually or at least produced gametes, although it is not in general use, and is usually a combining form, as in semelparous, which refers to many plants, spiders, and octopodes which die after reproducing only once, exhausting their resources in the effort.  So parous does fit, but it's not a very satisfying brand name. μηδείς (talk) 23:18, 12 August 2017 (UTC)


 * OK, then narrow it down to species where an individual is considered a "virgin" until such time as they've mated/had sexual intercourse. What are they called after that?  A "non-virgin"?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  07:20, 13 August 2017 (UTC)


 * I am unaware of any such term. Whether or not an organism has [mechanically] copulated is not really an important issue in [vertebrate] biology in general; fertility,  pregnancy and parenthood are salient issues.  Sex-play might be of relevance in narrow areas, like in the study of the Bonobo or rape/homosexuality in dolphins.  This unsourced popular press article mentions that at least some other mammals do have hymens, but, for instance, in elephants they only break at childbirth .  Again, the concept virgin really is a cultural, more than a scientific one.  There doesn't have to be a word for every notion we can think of, and one won't come into general use unless it is useful; otherwise we just use metaphors and descriptive phrases. μηδείς (talk) 16:31, 13 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, thank you for that. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:51, 13 August 2017 (UTC)


 * I added some qualifications, since certain invertebrate animals do either lose body parts (the male octopus) or suffer trauma (penis fencing) upon copulation, and some animals simply pierce the body wall of the other to inseminate it, rather than using a vagina. There's also the fact that cat copulation is supposed to induce ovulation, hence the male's penis spines.  But these seem all to be treated as separate cases. μηδείς (talk) 22:23, 13 August 2017 (UTC)