chevrotain

[ shev-ruh-teyn, -tin ]

noun

any very small, deerlike ruminant of the family Tragulidae, of Africa, tropical Asia, the Malay Peninsula, etc.

Origin of chevrotain

<French, apparently Buffon's alteration of chevrotin roe deer under the age of six months, equivalent to Middle French chevrot kid (chevre goat (see chevon) + -ot diminutive suffix) + -in-ine¹

Also called mouse deer.

Words Nearby chevrotain

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British Dictionary definitions for chevrotain

chevrotain

/ (ˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn, -tɪn) /

noun

any small timid ruminant artiodactyl mammal of the genera Tragulus and Hyemoschus, of S and SE Asia: family Tragulidae. They resemble rodents, and the males have long tusklike upper canines: Also called: mouse deer

Origin of chevrotain

C18: from French, from Old French chevrot kid, from chèvre goat, from Latin capra, feminine of caper goat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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