*deer*

n. sing. & pl. [ OE. der, deor, animal, wild animal, AS. deór; akin to D. dier, OFries. diar, G. thier, tier, Icel. d&ymacr_;r, Dan. dyr, Sw. djur, Goth. dius; of unknown origin. √71. ] 1. Any animal; especially, a wild animal. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mice and rats, and such small deer. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The camel, that great deer. Lindisfarne MS. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A ruminant of the genus Cervus, of many species, and of related genera of the family Cervidæ. The males, and in some species the females, have solid antlers, often much branched, which are shed annually. Their flesh, for which they are hunted, is called venison. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The deer hunted in England is Cervus elaphus, called also stag or red deer; the fallow deer is Cervus dama; the common American deer is Cervus Virginianus; the blacktailed deer of Western North America is Cervus Columbianus; and the mule deer of the same region is Cervus macrotis. See Axis, Fallow deer, Mule deer, Reindeer. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Deer is much used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound; as, deerkiller, deerslayer, deerslaying, deer hunting, deer stealing, deerlike, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deer mouse (Zool.), the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, formerly Hesperomys leucopus) of America. --
Small deer, petty game, not worth pursuing; -- used metaphorically. (See citation from Shakespeare under the first definition, above.) “Minor critics . . . can find leisure for the chase of such small deer.” G. P. Marsh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A shrub of the blueberry group (Vaccinium stamineum); also, its bitter, greenish white berry; -- called also squaw huckleberry. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) An American genus (Rhexia) of perennial herbs, with opposite leaves, and showy flowers (usually bright purple), with four petals and eight stamens, -- the only genus of the order Melastomaceæ inhabiting a temperate clime. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) One of a large and fleet breed of hounds used in hunting deer; a staghound. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Deer + - let. ] (Zool.) A chevrotain. See Kanchil, and Napu. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A deerlike, or thin, ill-formed neck, as of a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of various tall perennial herbs constituting the genus Frasera; it is widely distributed in warm dry upland areas of the US Pacific states.
Syn. -- columbo, American columbo, deer's-ears, pyramid plant, American gentian. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The skin of a deer, or the leather which is made from it. Hakluyt. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who practices deerstalking. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A close-fitting cap, usually woolen, such as is worn in deerstalking, having a low crown and visors both in front and back, and having earflaps which are usually worn tied together over the top; also called fore-and-after, deerstalker hat and deerstalker cap; a hunter's cap; formerly also used for any stiff, round hat. [ Eng. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

n. The hunting of deer on foot, by stealing upon them unawares. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A plant (Liatris odoratissima) whose fleshy leaves give out a fragrance compared to vanilla. Wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ So called from its fallow or pale yellow color. ] (Zool.) A European species of deer (Cervus dama), much smaller than the red deer. In summer both sexes are spotted with white. It is common in England, where it is often domesticated in the parks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as killdeer.
Syn. -- killdeer, killdeer plover, Charadrius vociferus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. [ So named from its notes. ] (Zool.) A small American plover (Charadrius vociferus, formerly Aegialitis vocifera) of inland waters and fields having a distinctive cry. The adult has two black bands around the neck and upper breast, but the young chick has only the breast band. It ranges from Canada to Mexico and the West Indies.
Syn. -- kildeer, killdeer plover, Charadrius vociferus. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

☞ It is dark grayish brown above; the rump and upper tail coverts are yellowish rufous; the belly, throat, and a line over the eyes, white; a ring round the neck and band across the breast, black. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A pawnbroker. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. pétardier. ] (Mil.) One who managed a petard. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See Reindeer. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Reindeer. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Icel. hreinn reindeer + E. deer. Icel. hreinn is of Lapp or Finnish origin; cf. Lappish reino pasturage. ] [ Formerly written also raindeer, and ranedeer. ] (Zool.) Any ruminant of the genus Rangifer, of the Deer family, found in the colder parts of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and having long irregularly branched antlers, with the brow tines palmate. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The common European species (Rangifer tarandus) is domesticated in Lapland. The woodland reindeer or caribou (Rangifer caribou) is found in Canada and Maine (see Caribou.) The Barren Ground reindeer or caribou (Rangifer Groenlandicus), of smaller size, is found on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in both hemispheries. [ 1913 Webster ]

Reindeer moss (Bot.), a gray branching lichen (Cladonia rangiferina) which forms extensive patches on the ground in arctic and even in north temperature regions. It is the principal food of the Lapland reindeer in winter. --
Reindeer period (Geol.), a name sometimes given to a part of the Paleolithic era when the reindeer was common over Central Europe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The roebuck. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) (a) A small Chinese deer (Hydropotes inermis). Both sexes are destitute of antlers, but the male has large, descending canine tusks. (b) The water chevrotain. [ 1913 Webster ]