Why do we call meet from cows-beef, meat from pigs-pork?

Question

But chickens are simply chicken, lamb is simply lamb?

Answer 1

You make people think. Go Lisa T.





Sorry, I just couldn't resist correcting you. You used a homophone. You wrote "meet" but you meant "meat."

But still a very good question!

Answer 2

Because in the "olde" days when England was ruled by the Normans (invading vikings) all the nobles spoke (old) French to put on airs and curry favor with their conquerors. These old French words have been absorbed into the English language as generic terms for the meat of the animals they describe.

English, old French => English loan-word
cow, bouef => beef
pig, porc => pork
chicken, poulet => poultry
calf, veal => veal
sheep, mouton => mutton

It is speculated that food that would be more available to the commoners (like chicken and lamb) also retained the native names - thus chicken meat is also referred to as chicken, and lamb as lamb.

Deer/Venison is a little different. Deer originally meant any animal but eventually came to mean specifically what we now refer to as deer. We don't know why.

Venison is also borrowed from the old French (those nutty Normans again), but it meant any meat from game that was hunted. Only relatively recently (17th century) has it come to mean specifically meat from a deer.

And of course anything "new" either doesn't have a different name, or falls into an existing category. Emu anyone?

Answer 3

I think cat meat is CAT MEAT. Period. Pigs and Cows and Chickens are supposedly meant to be eaten, but cat meat? WTF??! I can't believe cat meat is enjoyed as a delicacy by some tribes and people that mostly depend on meat for food. Some even think cat's blood can cure some diseases being an energizing tonic! GROSS! I'm glad I live here in US and don't see that crap happening. Even some sea food dishes freak me out!

Answer 4

Origin Of The Word Beef

Answer 5

Old English, possibly from Latin

Beef: Origin: 1250–1300AD; 1885–90AD for def. 5; ME < AF beof, OF boef < L bov- (s. of bōs) ox, cow; akin to cow1 like Bovine to describe cattle.


Pork: Origin: 1250AD–1300AD; ME porc < OF < L porcus hog, pig; c. farrow1] Like Porcine to describe pigs

Answer 6

First of all, you are talking about "meat" from them both.
Cow's are beef.
Pig's are pork.
Pork and beef are sausage.
Chicken and Turkey are poultry.
Lamb is lamb-chops.
Deer is venison.
Fish is sea food.
Alligator and snakes are reptile.
And anything you run over with your car, is "roadkill." <}:-})

Answer 7

I didn't know the answer but an excellent quwestion and well done to those who found out for enlightening us all.

Answer 8

The words orginiated from the Wild west, and their crazy lingo.

Answer 9

And sheep is mutton, deer is venison.

Answer 10

Dunno but
Old French boef, from Latin bos ‘ox’
Pork ORIGIN Latin porcus ‘pig’
Lamb ORIGIN Old English
Chicken ORIGIN Old English