noncow

English

Etymology

From non- +‎ cow.

Noun

noncow (plural noncows)

1. (philosophy) That which is not a cow.
   • 1973, Jadunath Sinha, A history of Indian philosophy, volume 4:

     The Buddhist maintains that the genus of cow is nothing but the exclusion of noncows or nonexistence in noncows (anyapoha). Venkatanatha refutes this view. It is wrong, since the universal is apprehended as a positive entity.

   • 1993, Alvin I. Goldman, Readings in philosophy and cognitive science, page 367:

     Roughly, a mental symbol C means cow if and only if (1) C-tokens are reliably caused by cows, and (2) although noncows (eg, horses) also sometimes cause C-tokens, noncows would not cause C-tokens unless cows did, whereas it is false […]

   • 1997, Catherine Z. Elgin, Nelson Goodman's theory of symbols and its applications, page 174:

     Given a free variable whose designation was taken to be the class of cows, there was no ready means for referring to the class of noncows; so the requisite inference from 'Cows are animals' was not forthcoming.

Adjective

noncow (not comparable)

1. Not of or pertaining to cows; beef-free.
   • 1991, Beth Kidder, Harold M. Friedman, The Milk-Free Kitchen: Living Well Without Dairy Products, page 17:

     Your local supermarket may not carry coconut milk but you should be able to buy the real, noncow product in cans at a specialty food store or at an oriental grocery store.

   • 2004, Jim Hightower, Let's stop beating around the bush:

     Luckily, thanks to the dedication of the genetic engineering industry, a noncow alternative is now available to lip-pouting worrywarts. A bioengineered human collagen has been derived, using the foreskin of an infant boy's penis.

   • 2005, Sylvia Lovegren, Fashionable food: seven decades of food fads:

     Brown rice and carrots were two health food sacred cows. Here they are combined to make a noncow "burger." These surprisingly tasty patties are very fragile, but firm up nicely as they brown.

   • 2008, Vinay Rai, William Simon, Think India: The Rise of the World's Next Great Power:

     For India, McDonald's uniquely developed a noncow menu—including McMaharajas, made of lamb.