cob

C2 Topic:Animals

US /kɑb/ UK /kɒb/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like cab /æ/ vs /ɑ/ Sounds like cub /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/

Freq #24576

Meanings

1

noun
a strong, compact horse with short legs, commonly used for riding or pulling a carriage

The sturdy cob carried its rider safely over the rough lane.
2

noun
the central cylindrical core of an ear of maize, on which the kernels grow

After dinner, only the bare cob remained on the plate.
3

noun
a male swan

The cob guarded the nesting pen from other birds.
4

noun
a rounded loaf, lump, or large nut such as a cobnut

The baker placed a crusty cob beside the soup.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a strong, compact horse... cob horse

2 noun · the central cylindrical... corncob

3 noun · a male swan male swan

4 noun · a rounded loaf, lump, or... cob loafcobnut

Word family

Forms cobs

Derived forms cobbycobnutcorncob

Related forms horse maize swanhazelnut

Common collocations

corn cob Noun + noun

Etymology

The many senses probably have more than one origin. Middle English cobbe denoted a male swan and also a leader or large object; some rounded-object senses may be related to cop, 'head or top.' The compact horse, corncob, loaf, and nut all preserve the idea of a stout or rounded form.

Topics

Animals

External links

# cob

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kɑb/
**IPA (UK):** /kɒb/
**Frequency rank:** 24576

## Meanings
1. a strong, compact horse with short legs, commonly used for riding or pulling a carriage
2. the central cylindrical core of an ear of maize, on which the kernels grow
3. a male swan
4. a rounded loaf, lump, or large nut such as a cobnut

## Examples
- The sturdy cob carried its rider safely over the rough lane.
- After dinner, only the bare cob remained on the plate.
- The cob guarded the nesting pen from other birds.
- The baker placed a crusty cob beside the soup.

## Synonyms
- cob horse
- corncob
- male swan
- cobnut

## Derived Forms
- cobby
- cobnut
- corncob

## Related Forms
- horse
- maize
- swan
- hazelnut

## Etymology
The many senses probably have more than one origin. Middle English cobbe denoted a male swan and also a leader or large object; some rounded-object senses may be related to cop, 'head or top.' The compact horse, corncob, loaf, and nut all preserve the idea of a stout or rounded form.

## Topics
- Animals

markdown