[deer] n, pl deer also deers [ME, deer, animal, fr. OE deor beast; akin to OHG tior wild animal, Lith dvasia breath, spirit] (bef. 12c) 1 archaic: animal; esp: a small mammal
2: any of numerous ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having two large and two small hooves on each foot and antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females of a few forms -- deer.like adj