Teacher Discussion Forums

"Cow's milk" or "Cows' milk" ?

There's also the obvious third option, 'cow milk' - doesn't "sound" quite as well as e.g. 'baboon milk' though (not that baboons are being milked artificially in any great number other than in my secret lactation labs).

Google is probably very unreliable for this sort of thing, but the apostrophe as if it were singular seems most popular, while all three options are common. Let's declare freedom! (Although I suppose we then have to say exactly where this freedom reigns).

I don't think I'm allowed to play at Language Log anymore, but anyway it seems that they have all the answers to these questions in a rack of test tubes over there somewhere.