Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAT'TLE, n. [sing. or plur. Norm. catal, chastel, and chatters, goods, commodities, movables; Arm. chetal, beasts; Port. gado. In Syr. and Ch. גת and גית signify a flock, herd, possession, goods. But Spelman alledges that the word chattel is contracted from capitalia, captal, from caput, a word used in the middle ages for all goods, movable and immovable, answering nearly to the use of Gr. κεφαλαιον, Acts xxii. 28, πολλου κεφαλαιου, “with a great price or sum I obtained this freedom.” Qu. Sp. caudal, wealth, property, capital sum. Cattle may be from the root of It. cattare, to get, and denote possessions.]

1. Beasts or quadrupeds in general, serving for tillage or other labor, and for food to man. In its primary sense, the word includes camels, horses, asses, all the varieties of domesticated horned beasts or the bovine genus, sheep of all kinds and goats, and perhaps swine. In this general sense it is constantly used in the Scriptures. See Job i. 3. Hence it would appear that the word properly signifies possessions, goods. But whether from a word originally signifying a beast, for in early ages beasts constituted the chief part of a man's property, or from a root signifying to get or possess, Gr. κταομαι, It. cattare, or from capitalia, it is not easy to determine. This word is restricted to domestic beasts; but in England it includes horses, which it ordinarily does not, in the United States, at least not in New England.
2. In the United States, cattle, in common usage, signifies only beasts of the bovine genus, oxen, bulls, cows and their young. In the laws respecting domestic beasts, horses, sheep, asses, mules and swine are distinguished from cattle, or neat cattle. Thus the law in Connecticut, requiring “that all the owners of any cattle, sheep or swine, shall ear-mark or brand all their cattle, sheep and swine,” does not extend to horses. Yet it is probable that a law, giving damages for a trespass committed by cattle breaking into an inclosure, would be adjudged to include horses. In Great Britain, beasts are distinguished into black cattle, including bulls, oxen, cows and their young; and small cattle, including sheep of all kinds and goats.
3. In reproach, human beings are called cattle. – Shak.