Venison
/ˈvɛn.ɪ.zən/noun
The meat of a deer or other game animal.
Did you know?In Old French, the ancestor of venison meant simply “game taken in the hunt,” and English later narrowed it to deer meat, preserving the old aristocratic language of the chase.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wen-
“to strive after, desire, pursue”
Latin
Latin
venārī
“to hunt, pursue game”
Old French
Old French
venaison
“game taken in hunting; flesh of game”
Middle English
English
venyson
“meat from hunted game, especially deer”
Modern English
English
venison
“deer meat”