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sambar

American  
[sam-ber, sahm-] / ˈsæm bər, ˈsɑm- /
Or sambur,

noun

  1. a deer, Cervus unicolor, of India, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and the Philippines, having three-pointed antlers.


sambar British  
/ ˈsæmbə /

noun

  1. a S Asian deer, Cervus unicolor, with three-tined antlers

"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 sambar

1690–1700; < Hindi < Sanskrit śambara


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Helping his brother-in-law film a documentary, Thapar watched as their subject stalked a herd of sambar deer in one of the many Ranthambore lakes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Picture warm-spiced chickpeas, cooling raita, the lentil stew sambar and the coconut-refreshed vegetable medley known as aviyal — everything partnered with steamed rice and breads including chapati and papadum.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2022

But she keeps at it, and not just for the subtle aromas of kaffir lime and anisey basil that the leaves impart on quintessential dishes like sambar and pachadi.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2022

It is home to vulnerable species — leopards, sambar deer, dozens of types of butterflies — and consists of 27 tribal hamlets, or forest-dwelling communities, including her own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

The sambar, or one or other of its subspecies, has also been naturalized in Mauritius, and in the Marianne Islands in the open Pacific.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

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