Cow
Old English cū, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koe and German Kuh, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin bos and Greek bous .
wiktionary
From Middle English cou, cu, from Old English cū(“cow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kū, from Proto-Germanic *kūz(“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws(“cow”).
Cognate with Sanskrit गो(go), Ancient Greek βοῦς(boûs), Persian گاو (gāv)), Latvian govs(“cow”), Proto-Slavic *govędo (Serbo-Croatian govedo, Russian говядина(govjadina) ("beef")), Scots coo(“cow”), North Frisian ko, kø(“cow”), West Frisian ko(“cow”), Dutch koe(“cow”), Low German Koh, Koo, Kau(“cow”), German Kuh(“cow”), Swedish ko(“cow”), Norwegian ku(“cow”), Icelandic kýr(“cow”), Latin bōs(“ox, bull, cow”), Armenian կով(kov, “cow”).
The plural kine is from Middle English kyne, kyn, kuin, kiin, kien(“cows”), either a double plural of Middle English ky, kye(“cows”), equivalent to modern kye + -en, or inherited from Old English cȳna(“cows', of cows”), genitive plural of cū(“cow”).
Probably from Old Norse kúga(“to oppress”) (whence also Norwegian and Danish kue, Swedish kuva); compare Icelandic kúfa(“to set on top”) and Faroese kúga(“to oppress”).
cow (plural cows)
etymonline
cow (n.)
"female of a bovine animal," especially the domestic ox, Middle English cu, qu, kowh, from Old English cu "cow," from Proto-Germanic *kwon (source also of Old Frisian ku, Middle Dutch coe, Dutch koe, Old High German kuo, German Kuh, Old Norse kyr, Danish, Swedish ko), earlier *kwom, from PIE root *gwou- "ox, bull, cow."
Applied to the females of various large animals from late 14c. As an insulting or degrading word for a woman, 1690s.
cow (v.)
"intimidate, daunt the fear or courage of," c. 1600, probably [OED] from Old Norse kuga "oppress," which is of unknown origin but perhaps has something to do with the Scandinavian forms of cow (n.) on the notion of "easily herded." Related: Cowed; cowing.
