original plural of beef (n.) in the animal sense (compare boevz, plural of Old French buef), now only in restricted use.
Entries linking to beeves
beef n.
c. 1300, "an ox, bull, or cow," also the flesh of one when killed, used as food, from Old French buef "ox; beef; ox hide" (11c., Modern French boeuf), from Latin bovem (nominative bos, genitive bovis) "ox, cow," from PIE root *gwou- "ox, bull, cow." The original plural in the animal sense was beeves.