leppy

9.9

A young calf without a mother often cared for by ranchers

noun

Jargon

: ternero huérfano

Ranchers often bottle-feed a leppy until it is strong enough to join the herd.

Examples

The cowboy spotted a leppy wandering alone near the creek.
After the storm, several leppies were brought back to the ranch for care.
The rancher found a leppy near the old barn.
Many leppies roam freely in the fields.
After the storm, several leppies were brought back to the ranch for care.
Ranchers often bottle-feed a leppy until it is strong enough to join the herd.
The cowboy spotted a leppy wandering alone near the creek.

Synonyms

orphan

vsleppy

3 1.3

A young animal whose mother has died or is not there

is limited to calves in western range herds rather than all young animals

dogie

vsleppy

Archaic

3 9.9

A young calf without its mother in a cattle herd

is the same meaning but differs as a regional or spelling form

dogy

vsleppy

Jargon

9.9

A calf without its mother in a herd that people raise by hand

focuses on western range herds rather than hand rearing

Surface Forms

leppy singular

leppies plural

Etymology

Leppy is a ranch word from the western United States for a calf without its mother. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the word 'left', because the calf has been 'left' alone and so a leppy needs extra care until it can join the herd.