noun

dung

DUNG/dʌŋ/

Animal excrement, especially from large mammals.

A cow pat of dung lies on the pasture.

A clearly recognizable cow pat in the foreground, with a cow standing just behind it on a sparse patch of pasture, making the animal origin of the waste immediately apparent.

Etymology

dungOld Englishmanure used to fertilize soil

Old English dung named manure or decayed matter used to fertilize soil. Its meaning broadened to animal excrement generally, whether or not anyone used it as fertilizer.

In context

Eloise Zinck24:51

Of course, with great herds come great volumes of dung. The unsung cleaners of the Serengeti, the dung beetles take care of those.

Fawn identity [Impala and Gazelle Documentary] | Wild Things

More examples

They collected dung for compost.
The soil contained dried dung.
She studied animal dung.

Forms

dung

Similar words

manure: Dung used as fertilizer.
droppings: Individual pieces of animal waste.