deer

Meaning

1. (countable) A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae, or one of several similar animals from related families of the order Artiodactyla, such as the musk deer or mouse deer.
2. (countable) A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae, or one of several similar animals from related families of the order Artiodactyla, such as the musk deer or mouse deer.
3. (countable) A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae, or one of several similar animals from related families of the order Artiodactyla, such as the musk deer or mouse deer.
4. (uncountable) The meat of such an animal, obtained through the process of hunting or from specialized deer farms; venison.
5. (countable, obsolete) Any animal, especially a quadrupedal mammal as opposed to a bird, fish, etc.

Synonyms

blacktail

antelope

stag

🦌

roe

doe

hart

cervid

fawn

buck

venison

elk

artiodactyl

boshe

mule deer

reindeer

🦌

ungulate

wild animal

indef.

gaselle

Goat

🐐

sika deer

meat

🥩

a kind of deer

Cervidae

wild buffalo

artiodactyl mammal

even-toed ungulate

side-hill seertle

cerf

bug

🐛

Capricorn

♑

carabao

etc.

flesh

🥩

gazelle

hind

kangaroo

🦘

moose

🫎

mountain goat

one

pig

🐖

red deer

roe deer

Translations

venado

🦌

ciervo

🦌

cerf

🦌

cervo

🦌

Hirsch

🦌

Odocoileus columbianus

hert

🦌

cervus

🦌

veado

🦌

ελάφι

cérvol

🦌

geyik

🦌

Reh

cervo

🦌

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: deere

Inherited from Old English: dēor

Cognate with Scots: dere

Cognate with Northern Frisian: dier

Cognate with Western Frisian: dier

Cognate with Dutch: dier

Cognate with German: Tier

Cognate with Swedish: djur

Cognate with Norwegian: dyr

Cognate with Icelandic: dýr

Cognate with Danish: dyr

Cognate with Albanian: dash

Cognate with Lithuanian: daũsos

Cognate with Lithuanian: dùsti

Cognate with Russian: душа́

Cognate with Lithuanian: dvėsti

Cognate with Sanskrit: ध्वंसति

Cognate with Latin: animālis

In summary

From Middle English der, deer (“animal, deer”), from Old English dēor (“animal”), from Proto-West Germanic *deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewsóm (“living thing”), from *dʰéws (“breath”), full-grade derivative of *dʰwes-.
Cognate with Scots deer (“deer”), North Frisian dier (“animal, beast”), West Frisian dier (“animal, beast”), Dutch dier (“animal, beast”), German Low German Deer, Deert (“animal”), German Tier (“animal, beast”), Swedish djur (“animal, beast”), Norwegian dyr (“animal, beast”), Icelandic dýr (“animal, beast”), Danish dyr (“animal, beast”).
Related also to Albanian dash (“ram”) (possibly), Lithuanian daũsos (“upper air; heaven”), Lithuanian dùsti (“to sigh”), Russian душа́ (dušá, “breath, spirit”), Lithuanian dvėsti (“to breathe, exhale”), Sanskrit ध्वंसति (dhvaṃsati, “he falls to dust”).
For the semantic development compare Latin animālis (“animal”), from anima (“breath, spirit”).