venison
Americannoun
noun
-
the flesh of a deer, used as food
-
archaic the flesh of any game animal used for food
Etymology
Origin of venison
1250–1300; Middle English ven ( a ) ison < Old French veneison, venaison < Latin vēnātiōn (stem of vēnātiō hunting), equivalent to vēnāt ( us ) ( see venatic) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Bambi, beware. Venison is deer meat intended as food. Venison is derived from the medieval French word venesoun, which originally described the meat of any large animal, not just deer. Back then, venison was as common as a Big Mac today (rather than as the fairly classy meal it's considered today). In Britain, before 1066, when the French came over and conquered them, the Brits had pretty simple names for their meat: cow, pig, deer, etc. The French, with their high regard for cuisine, changed all that, and the names became beef, bacon, and venison. The British, though, despite the fancy new names, famously refused to take cooking as seriously as their new French rulers.
Vocabulary lists containing venison
My Side of the Mountain
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The Birchbark House
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Old Yeller
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Allman’s cameos on the show include unglamorous moments like renting out pressure washers or squeezing blood from a raw venison patty and cooking it in cream sauce for dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
One of the night’s standout dishes was the venison tartare, topped with poached egg yolk and spruce tips and served with rye crackers.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
They demolished plates of dried beef, hoecakes, pickled eggs, roast venison and fried parsnips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
There is widespread agreement among some of the experts I've spoken to that eating more venison is an attractive option.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
“Louis, will you out-span your team? I’ll take the venison in. Liza will be glad. She likes a venison stew.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
