What is the Plural of Beef?

Nouns that don’t change in their plural form are called “zero plurals,” and some examples would include aircraft, moose, and sheep. They can each refer to the singular or plural of the word. And we all know that more than one chicken would be chickens, a bunch of fish is fish (though there are some instances where the word “fishes” is correct), and more than one cow would be cows. But what would be the plural form of the word “beef”? If you guessed “beef,” then today will be your lucky day because you’re going to learn something new.

The plural form of “beef” is “beeves.” It really is. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says so, as does Dictionary.com. This follows a traditional Old English pattern where words ending in “f” change to “ves” in the plural. Some examples are leaf/leaves, wife/wives, or thief/thieves. It sounds like the word should be the name of the brother of a butler, but when has anyone ever used it to refer to a whole bunch of beef?

It so happens that it has been used rather commonly to refer to a group of cows, steers, or bulls, rather than specifically to the meat on your plate. It’s just that it hasn’t been used to refer to a group of cows recently. A 1926 news article titled “Raising of Baby Beeves Is Usually Profitable” helps dispel the myth that this is some word from medieval or ancient times. Or how about a 1951 article titled, “Lower Prices Paid For 4-H Baby Beeves.” But these talk about young cows, when has it been used for adult cows?

Well, here’s your answer. An excellent 1949 article titled, “Prized Beeves Go On Sale At Piggly-Wiggly.” There’s even a more recent story from 2003 in The Bunkie Record in Louisiana mentioning adult beeves, but it’s in a quote from someone talking about an event that took place in the 1940s. In addition, the term “beeves” was standard terminology in the American West during the 19th-century cattle drives and appeared in journals and ledgers from the era. I’m not sure why it stopped being used, but please try it the next time you’re at the supermarket.

Want some more cool stuff to read right from your inbox? Subscribe to knowledgestew.substack.com for more. You can support continued research and writing for more posts like this below.