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cattle pen

cattle pen

1 2.1
An enclosure for keeping cattle like cows and bulls
  • noun
  • /ˈkætəl pɛn/
translation icon : corral
  • This, of course, requires an actual functioning rehabilitative prison—not just a cattle pen.

Examples

  • You know, we could have used this in the cattle pens in Asmara.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The train station was a one-room frame boxlike structure with a cattle pen on one side and the elevator on the other.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I passed a thing such as I had never seen before: a hamlet of some eight buildings and a cattle pen burned to the ground.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We went first for the cattle pen and the 2 CPs to the east of Hatbill Road.

    Blog text (29)
  • Then Abraham ran to the cattle pen, picked out a nice plump calf, and gave it to the servant who lost no time getting it ready.

    Blog text (10)
  • "Stray Negroes," free and slave, children, the elderly, or anyone with dark skin who could not prove Caucasian ancestry, were arrested and placed in cattle pens in most major Northern cities.

  • They had parked their two customized black RVs by the cattle pens, and as they climbed out, the first thing Rikki saw was a poster on which someone had scrawled "who?" right under her name.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The farmer led the cattle into the large cattle pen to keep them safe for the night.

  • During the county fair, we watched as the cattle were weighed in the cattle pen before the competition.

  • The cattle pen was built with sturdy wooden fences to ensure the animals could not escape.

Synonyms

pen
vscattle pen
63 3.5

A small area for keeping animals like pigs or chickens

is a larger fenced area used for confining bigger farm animals
corral
vscattle pen
  • US
30 5.3

An enclosure for keeping farm animals like cattle or horses

is the basic fenced area used simply to confine those animals
enclosure
vscattle pen
25 3.5

An area surrounded by a fence, wall, or natural feature

is the animal-specific fenced area used to confine particular livestock
paddock
vscattle pen
8 3.4

A small enclosed field where animals such as horses graze or exercise

is mainly for confining animals without the focus on grazing
stockyard
vscattle pen
  • US
6 6.3

A fenced area where people keep animals like cows and sheep before transport or slaughter

is any fenced area for confining animals, not only for trade use
holding pen
vscattle pen
2 3.1

A small fenced area where farmers keep animals before moving them

is any fenced area used for confining animals rather than brief holding
cow pen
vscattle pen
1 1.6

A fenced area where farmers keep cows

is the general fenced area used to confine those animals
holding yard
vscattle pen
1 5.1

A fenced area where animals like sheep wait briefly before someone moves them

is the general fenced area without the temporary waiting aspect
drylot
vscattle pen
  • Jargon
8.2

An outdoor area where farmers keep and feed animals when they cannot graze

is a fenced area that may allow grazing rather than dry feeding
holding paddock
vscattle pen
  • UK
5.8

An enclosed area where farmers keep animals for a short time before moving them

is any fenced area used to confine animals without the temporary focus
catch pen
vscattle pen
  • Specialized
6.3

A small fenced area that holds animals like sheep or cattle for a short time

is the broader fenced area used to keep animals without handling purpose
catching pen
vscattle pen
  • Jargon
5.5

A small fenced area for holding animals briefly to sort or check them

is a general fenced space used to confine animals rather than brief catching

How Big

pasture
102 1.4
stockyard
  • US
6 6.3
feedlot
  • Specialized
7 6.3
cattle pen
1 2.1
paddock
8 3.4

Surface Forms

cattle pen singular
cattle pens plural

Morphology

cattle + pen

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'cattle' (livestock) + 'pen' (an enclosure for animals); together they naturally denote an enclosure for cattle. This noun-noun compounding is productive and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The compound cattle pen gives a simple picture: cattle means cows or similar animals and a pen is a small fenced area. Farmers put animals into a pen so they cannot wander off, so today cattle pen means 'an enclosure or fenced area used to confine cattle'.