from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Neat \Neat\ (n[=e]t), n. sing. & pl. [AS. ne['a]t; akin to OHG.
n[=o]z, Icel. naut, Sw. n["o]t, Dan. n["o]d, and to AS.
ne['o]tan to make use of, G. geniessen, Goth. niutan to have
a share in, have joy of, Lith. nauda use, profit.] (Zool.)
Cattle of the genus {Bos}, as distinguished from horses,
sheep, and goats; an animal of the genus {Bos}; as, a neat's
tongue; a neat's foot. --Chaucer.
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Wherein the herds[men] were keeping of their neat.
--Spenser.
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The steer, the heifer, and the calf
Are all called neat. --Shak.
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A neat and a sheep of his own. --Tusser.
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{Neat's-foot}, an oil obtained by boiling the feet of neat
cattle. It is used to render leather soft and pliable.
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