Common Species Names - Pigs

Lay people and professionals use terms to describe in one word the status of an animal. The term may relate to the sexual status of an animal (intact or sexually functional, or altered or sexually nonfunctional) or the age status of an animal. Terms have also been derived to denote the process of giving birth and the grouping of animals.

porcine (poor-sīn): pigs or swine

boar (bōr): intact (not sexually altered) male pig

sow: intact female pig

barrow (bār-ō): male pig castrated when young

stag: male pig castrated after maturity

gilt (gihlt): young female pig that has now farrowed

pig or piglet: young pig; old term is shoat

farrowing (fār-ō-ihng): giving birth to pigs

herd: group of pigs