fallow deer

American  

noun

1. a Eurasian deer, Dama dama, with a fallow or yellowish coat.

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fallow deer British  

noun

1. either of two deer, Dama dama or D. mesopotamica , native to the Mediterranean region and Persia respectively. The antlers are flattened and the summer coat is reddish with white spots

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Etymology

Origin of fallow deer

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

Fallow deer were first introduced by the Romans in small numbers, and the species expanded under the Normans when owning a deer park was a must-have for any self-respecting nobleman.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

Fallow deer, a symbol of Rhodes, were found lying dead on the roadside.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

Fallow deer are smaller and dappled with white.

From Washington Post • Jan. 3, 2019

Fallow deer is from fallow, meaning pale, or yellowish, while axis, as applied to the deer so common in zoological gardens, was first mentioned by Pliny and is doubtless of East Indian origin.

From The Log of the Sun A Chronicle of Nature's Year by Beebe, William

Fallow deer and rabbits abounded in this neighbourhood, and with one greyhound only we killed ten of the former and great numbers of the latter.

From The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Vol 1 (of 2) Written by Himself Containing a True and Full Account of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain. by Díaz del Castillo, Bernal