Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Santa Gertrudis

Santa Gertrudis

8.8
Large red cattle raised for beef that do well in hot weather
  • noun
  • /ˈsæntə ɡərˈtruːdɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Santa Gertrudis
  • After years of careful breeding, they achieved a top-quality line of Santa Gertrudis that thrives even in extreme heat.

Examples

  • The Nunley brothers have been in the ranching business for more than 70 years and specialize in the Santa Gertrudis breed of cow.

    Blog text (13)

  • The rancher proudly showcased his herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle at the state fair, demonstrating their robust build and adaptability to warm climates.

  • Known for their hardiness, Santa Gertrudis cattle are often preferred by ranchers in hot regions of the United States.

Surface Forms

Santa Gertrudis singular
Santa Gertrudis plural

Morphology

Santa + Gertrudis

This is an eponymous proper name for a cattle breed (Santa Gertrudis) rather than a compositional phrase; the constituents are personal/place names rather than semantic building blocks that signal 'breed of cattle'. A B1 learner who knows 'Santa' and 'Gertrudis' would not be able to infer the meaning 'a breed of large red beef cattle' from those parts, so the expression is idiomatic and non-compositional.

Etymology

Santa Gertrudis comes from the King Ranch in Texas, where breeders developed a new red type of cattle and named it after a ranch area called 'Santa Gertrudis'. That's why Santa Gertrudis now means this particular breed of beef cattle that does well in hot weather.