Meaning & use
nanny
Last updated
UK/ˈnæni/
US/ˈnæni/
Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A female goat, especially an adult one.
Grammar: Often used in the compound nanny goat; the male is a billy goat.
Patterns
- a nanny goat
The nanny stood quietly while the farmer milked her.
Our nanny gave birth to twin kids in the spring.
A nanny and her young kid wandered along the fence.
Word forms
| plural | nannies |
|---|
Common combinations
- nanny goat
- A nanny goat can produce milk for several months after giving birth.
- milk a nanny
- She learned to milk a nanny on her uncle's farm.
- nanny and kid
- The nanny and kid grazed side by side.
- herd of nannies
- A herd of nannies crossed the hillside.
Synonyms and how they differ
- doe
- Doe is the more technical word used by goat breeders, while nanny is the common farmyard term.
- she-goat
- She-goat simply says the goat is female and sounds a little old-fashioned compared with nanny.
Opposites
Word family
- nanny goat noun
- the usual full form meaning a female goat
- billy goat noun
- a male goat
- kid noun
- a young goat
Commonly confused: nanny or nanny (caregiver)?
nanny vs nanny (caregiver)
A nanny can also be a woman employed to look after children at home, which is an entirely different meaning from the goat.
Practice
A farmer says, 'The nanny is expecting.' What animal is she most likely talking about?
Choose one answer.
On a farm a nanny is a female goat. A male goat is a billy, and the caregiver meaning would not fit a farm context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nanny”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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