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 ]