ˈdi(ə)r, ˈdiə noun
( plural deer also deers )
Etymology: Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English dēor beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Old Norse dȳr, Gothic dius wild animal, Lithuanian dvėsti to breathe, expire, Sanskrit dhvaṁsati he falls to dust, perishes — more at dust
1. obsolete : animal ; especially : a quadruped mammal
rats and mice and such small deer — Shakespeare
2.
a. : any of numerous ruminant mammals that constitute the family Cervidae, that have two large and two small hoofs on each foot and antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females of a few forms, that are represented by numerous species and individuals in most regions except most of Africa and Australia, and that constitute an important source of food in many places for man and the larger carnivorous animals — see caribou , elk , moose , musk deer , reindeer ; venison
b. : any of the small or medium-sized members of the family as distingushed from certain especially large forms (as elk, moose, or caribou)
3. : deerskin
4. : a grayish yellowish brown that is lighter and slightly yellower than olive wood and lighter than acorn — called also bobolink, camel's hair