deer
- any of several ruminants of the family Cervidae, most of the males of which have solid, deciduous antlers.
- any of the smaller species of this family, as distinguished from the moose, elk, etc.
Origin of deer
Related Words
hoghorsecowelephantpigswinecattletapircameldeerrhinocerosgiraffellamabuffalohippopotamusExamples from the Web for deer
Contemporary Examples
She actually had never been to a Deer Tick show before, but she liked it a lot.
So we picked out the song (“Rhiannon,” click here for video), and Deer Tick learned it.
A worn couch sitting squarely before a wood veneer wall, accented by the head of a deer.
In 1987, The Deer Hunter was hailed at the Moscow Film Festival as an important portrayal of the horrors of war.
A drawing of what was deemed a “deer pig” was also sent through the uranium decay ringer.
Historical Examples
Deer, Angora goats, hares, and trout have been also introduced.
Explorations in AustraliaJohn Forrest
Suppose that you are taking a trip in the mountains and you have seen a deer.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
Deer came at night to feed on the lily buds on the lake borders.
The Trail BookMary Austin
She lay looking at me like a deer that I had shot, waiting for me to plunge in the knife.
The Trail BookMary Austin
She's as graceful as a deer, and I'm sure she'll run as fast as any of them.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
deer
- any ruminant artiodactyl mammal of the family Cervidae, including reindeer, elk, muntjacs, and roe deer, typically having antlers in the maleRelated adjective: cervine
- (in N Canada) another name for caribou
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for deer
n.
Old English deor "animal, beast," from Proto-Germanic *deuzam, the general Germanic word for "animal" (as opposed to man), but often restricted to "wild animal" (cf. Old Frisian diar, Dutch dier, Old Norse dyr, Old High German tior, German Tier "animal," Gothic dius "wild animal," also cf. reindeer), from PIE *dheusom "creature that breathes," from root *dheu- (1) "cloud, breath" (cf. Lithuanian dusti "gasp," dvesti "gasp, perish;" Old Church Slavonic dychati "breathe").
For prehistoric sense development, cf. Latin animal from anima "breath"). Sense specialization to a specific animal began in Old English (usual Old English for what we now call a deer was heorot; see hart), common by 15c., now complete. Probably via hunting, deer being the favorite animal of the chase (cf. Sanskrit mrga- "wild animal," used especially for "deer"). Deer-lick is first attested 1778, in an American context.