reindeer

[ reyn-deer ]

noun,plural rein·deer, (occasionally) rein·deers.
  1. any of several large deer of the genus Rangifer, of northern and Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America, both male and female of which have antlers.

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Origin of reindeer

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raynder(e), from Old Norse hreindȳri, equivalent to hreinn “reindeer” + dȳr “animal” (cognate with deer)

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British Dictionary definitions for reindeer

reindeer

/ (ˈreɪnˌdɪə) /


nounplural -deer or -deers
  1. a large deer, Rangifer tarandus, having large branched antlers in the male and female and inhabiting the arctic regions of Greenland, Europe, and Asia. It also occurs in North America, where it is known as a caribou

Origin of reindeer

1
C14: from Old Norse hreindӯri, from hreinn reindeer + dyr animal; related to Dutch rendier, German Rentier; see deer

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