I. ˈrān+ˌ- noun
( plural reindeer also reindeers )
Etymology: Middle English reindere, from Old Norse hreinn reindeer (probably akin to Old Norse horn horn) + Middle English dere deer — more at horn , deer
: any of several deers of the genus Rangifer that inhabit the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, have large crescentic hooves with very large dewclaws, antlers present in both sexes with those of the male long, sweeping, often somewhat palmate at the ends, and with broad greatly developed brow antlers and with those of the female much smaller and simpler, and are often domesticated and used especially in Lapland for drawing sleds and as a source of food — compare caribou , elk , moose
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
: of, belonging to, or constituting a Paleolithic period in central Europe when reindeer were especially numerous : magdalenian