Deer
/dɪr/noun
A hoofed mammal of the family Cervidae, typically the male of which grows antlers.
Did you know?In Old English, dēor could mean any wild animal, and the modern narrowed sense to the antlered animal is a later semantic twist, not the original meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*deuzą
“wild animal, beast”
Old English
OE
dēor
“wild animal, beast; later also specifically the deer”
Middle English
ME
der
“a deer; earlier also any wild animal in some dialects”
Modern English
English
deer
“the antlered hoofed mammal”