Beef is a common type of meat that comes from cows. It’s an essential ingredient in many delicious dishes like burgers, steaks, meatballs, and more. But have you ever wondered what the plural of beef is? The plural form causes confusion for many English speakers. In this article, I’ll explain the plural of beef in simple terms.
The Two Plural Forms
Beef has two plural forms:
- Beefs
- Beeves
Both of these are considered correct plural forms of beef, according to the dictionary.
“Beefs” is the more common plural that people use in everyday speech, For example
- The butcher shop sells many different cuts and beefs.
- There are several beefs I enjoy grilling like ribeyes and sirloins.
“Beeves” is an older, more formal plural that sounds strange to modern ears. For example
- The rancher had over 500 beeves on his farm.
- The finest beeves were sent to the organic butcher shop.
- Beefs = the common plural form
- Beeves = the old, formal plural form
Why Are There Two Plurals?
You may be wondering why beef has two plural forms when most words just add “s” to make the plural.
The reason comes down to the word’s history:
- Beef comes from the Old French word “buef” meaning ox or cow.
- In Middle English, it became “bef” or “beef”.
- The old plural “beeves” comes from retaining the Old French plural “buefs”.
So while we dropped the Old French spelling, we kept the old plural form. But over time, English speakers started using the regular “beefs” plural instead.
Both forms have stuck around, but “beeves” sounds very outdated to our modern ears. That’s why nowadays you’ll mostly see the regular plural “beefs” used.
When to Use “Beeves”
Since “beeves” sounds so old-fashioned, it’s only used in certain contexts:
-
Formal writing like scientific papers. For example: “The researcher studied beeves from three different ranches.”
-
Legal language. For example: “The contract covers the sale of 500 beeves.”
-
When trying to sound old-fashioned on purpose, like in historical fiction.
So if you’re not sure which plural to use, stick with the regular “beefs”. But you may come across “beeves” in very formal or historical writing.
Other Meat Plurals
Like beef, some other words for meats have irregular plurals due to their origins:
- Deer/venison = deer
- Pork = pork or porks
- Poultry = poultry or poultries
The plurals can vary based on formality. But in everyday use, the regular plural in “s” is most common.
Summary
To summarize what we’ve discussed about the plural of beef:
- The two plurals are “beefs” and “beeves”.
- “Beefs” is the common plural form used today.
- “Beeves” is an old, formal plural that sounds outdated.
- The irregular plural comes from the word’s French origin.
- Stick with “beefs” unless you’re being very formal.
What Is the Plural of Beef?
The Quick Answer “Beef” is a
- Beef is the third most widely consumed meat in the world.
- Beef can be cooked to various degrees, from very rare to well done.
Are You Good at Plurals?Here’s a quick test.
| Type | Example of Type | Forming the Plural | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Nouns |  cat scythe |
add s | cats scythes |
| Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | bus dress |
add es | buses dresses |
| Nouns ending [consonant] o | mango zero tomato |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this – you have to know.) | mangoes or mangos zeros tomatoes |
| Nouns ending [vowel] o | patio ratio |
add s | patios ratios |
| Nouns ending [consonant] y | story penny |
change the y to an i and add es | stories pennies |
| Nouns ending [vowel] y | storey ( ) donkey |
add s | storeys donkeys |
| Mass nouns | beef rice |
some nouns do not have a plural form | beef rice |
| Nouns ending f or fe | dwarf knife |
ves and/or s (There are no rules – you have to know.) | dwarfs knives |
| Exceptions | goose louse |
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change | geese lice |
| More exceptions | salmon sheep |
some nouns do not change at all | salmon sheep |
Names of Beef Meat Parts: Types of Beef Steak in English | Beef Cuts #learnenglish #steak #beef
FAQ
Does beef have a plural?
The noun beef can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be beef. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be beefs e.g. in reference to various types of beefs or a collection of beefs.
Why do they call cattle beeves?
Cattle raised for human consumption are called beef cattle. Within the beef cattle industry in parts of the United States, the term beef (plural beeves) is still used in its archaic sense to refer to an animal of either sex.
How do you use beeves in a sentence?
Example Sentences
“The Navy captured a rebel ship off the coast of New Haven, filled with sheep and beeves.” With three employees, they can process about 10 beeves and 10 hogs every week. But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction for ship and crew.
Is it two beefs or two beef?
The word beef, the meat from cattle, does not have a plural.
What is the plural of beef?
So in short, beef is the food that we eat that makes up things like roast beef, fast food hamburgers, meatballs, steaks, and other fine staples based on the flesh of a cow. The plural of beef, according to Merriam Webster, is correct in two forms: beefs or beeves (pronounced biːvz).
What does beef mean?
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of beef is “the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (such as a steer or cow) used as food.” A note adds that the term “beef” is especially used to describe bovine animals like a steer or cow fattened for food.
Is beef a noun or noun?
Beef is the meat of a cow, bull, or ox. roast beef. beef stew. exports of beef and powdered milk. 2. See also corned beef If someone beefs about something, they keep complaining about it. Instead of beefing about what Mrs Martin has not done, her critics might take a look at what she is trying to do. Beef is also a noun.
Is beef countable or uncountable?
beef (countable and uncountable, plural beef or beefs or beeves) (uncountable) The meat from cattle or other bovines. I love eating beef.
What is beef based on?
A note adds that the term “beef” is especially used to describe bovine animals like a steer or cow fattened for food. So in short, beef is the food that we eat that makes up things like roast beef, fast food hamburgers, meatballs, steaks, and other fine staples based on the flesh of a cow.
Is beef the same as meat?
Beef would seem to be similar to meat, in this regard. Well, it turns out that there was a time when a cow that was ready to slaughter, meaning it had been fattened up and readied for market, was then referred to as a beef. Likewise, the slaughtered carcass might be called a beef. And two or more market-ready cows, or carcasses, were beeves.