chevrotain

American

[shev-ruh-teyn, -tin] / ˈʃɛv rəˌteɪn, -tɪn /

noun

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

chevrotain British

/ ˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn, -tɪn /

noun

Also called: mouse deer. 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

"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

Etymology

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 -ine ¹

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

chevrotain

Also rediscovered is a bunny-size deer, known as the silver-backed chevrotain, in southern Vietnam.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2022

Regarding the chevrotain, “we got the first photographic evidence that the species still exists,” said Andy Tilker, Re:wild’s Asian species officer.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2022

An Nguyen, who led the search in the field, says that three populations of the chevrotain were found.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023