n.
Pronunciation: ' dir
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural deer also deers
Etymology: Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English d ē or beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Lithuanian dvasia breath, spirit
Date: before 12th century
1 archaic : ANIMAL especially : a small mammal
2 : any of numerous slender-legged ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usually brownish fur and antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females of a few forms
– deer · like \ - ˌ l ī k \ adjective