deer

[ deer ]

/ dɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR deer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural deer, (occasionally) deers.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of deer

before 900; Middle English der, Old English dēor beast; akin to Gothic dius beast, Old High German tior

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deer

She actually had never been to a Deer Tick show before, but she liked it a lot.
Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll|James Joiner|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So we picked out the song (“Rhiannon,” click here for video), and Deer Tick learned it.
Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll|James Joiner|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A worn couch sitting squarely before a wood veneer wall, accented by the head of a deer.
#Setinthestreet: Your Street Corner Is Their Art Project|James Joiner|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1987, The Deer Hunter was hailed at the Moscow Film Festival as an important portrayal of the horrors of war.
When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A drawing of what was deemed a “deer pig” was also sent through the uranium decay ringer.
The Oldest Cave Art May Not Be in Europe|Justin Jones|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tammie was looking down at a splash of drying blood, obviously a deer had been badly wounded here and had fallen.
Double Challenge|James Arthur Kjelgaard
When a twig speaks under a deer in his passage through the woods, the sound is sharp, dainty, alert.
Wood Folk at School|William J. Long
Away then he went, and made no delay till he found Robin Hood chasing the deer through the woods.
Amusing Prose Chap Books|Various
That's a deer: no, it can't be: do you see how it slouches along?
A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of India|Charles Acland
In this division the elk, deer, and buffalo were probably in greater quantities than in any other part of my whole voyage.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume I (of 3)|Elliott Coues

British Dictionary definitions for deer

deer

/ (dɪə) /

noun plural deer or deers

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 for deer

Old English dēor beast; related to Old High German tior wild beast, Old Norse dӯr

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

Word Origin and History for deer

deer

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.