bovine UK /ˈbəʊ.vaɪn/US /ˈboʊˌvaɪn/adjective 3noun 2forms 3 adjective3 •Of, relating to, or characteristic of cattle, buffaloes, or bison. •Belonging to the subfamily Bovinae. •(figurative) Sluggish, dull, slow-witted.They had been selected and arranged with a dull, bovine indifference to any meaning that any of them might have. — 1988 noun2 •An animal of a family, subfamily, tribe, or genera including cattle, buffaloes and bison. •An animal of the subfamily Bovinae. formsbovines · more bovine · most bovine