: any of various slender-legged, even-toed, ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usually brownish fur and deciduous antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females only of the caribou : cervid
The meaning of a word often develops from the general to the specific. For instance, deer is used in modern English to mean several related forms of an animal species, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English deor, however, could refer to any animal, tame or wild, or to wild animals in general. In time, deer came to be used only for wild animals that were hunted, and then for the red deer, once widely hunted in England. From that usage the term has spread to related animals, becoming somewhat more general again.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe general hunt system had been in place in Eastern Oregon since 1979 for both elk and deer. Jayson Jacoby, oregonlive, 31 Aug. 2022 Team Downey made its Netflix debut with the show Sweet Tooth, which is about a boy who is half-human, half-deer and lives in a world where human-animal hybrid children started being born following a pandemic. Lia Beck, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022 The company describes it as rich in turkeys, deer, ducks and other game.al, 18 Aug. 2022 The ranch is where the deer and the antelope — along with the bighorn sheep and the elk — all play. Karen Heller, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 The island paradise has no native deer, kangaroos, or weasels. Benjamin Hunting, Car and Driver, 13 Aug. 2022 Abutting Griffith Park, the neighborhood is home to a variety of wildlife including deer, rabbits and the occasional coyote. Spencer Elliott, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 New enclosures are constantly built to house deer, goats, raccoons and various birds like peacocks or poultry.Fox News, 12 Aug. 2022 While Cesspooch explained, a deer approached through the aspens, watched the humans for a bit, then loped back into the wilderness. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English dēor beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Lithuanian dvasia breath, spirit
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of deer was before the 12th century