deer
Meanings
Noun
- distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
- A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae.
- A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae.
- One of the smaller animals of the family Cervidae, distinguished from a moose or elk.
- The meat of such an animal, obtained through the process of hunting or from specialized deer farms; venison.
- Any animal, especially a quadrupedal mammal as opposed to a bird, fish, etc.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English deere, dere, der, dier, deor (“small 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 dere, deir (“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”).
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 5
deer is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL worddeer is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
deer is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary