deer

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various hoofed ruminant mammals of the family Cervidae, characteristically having deciduous antlers borne chiefly by the males. The deer family also includes the elk, moose, caribou, and reindeer.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Any wild quadruped.
2. n. The general name of the solid-horned ruminants of the family Ccrvidœ, and especially of the genus Cervus. See these words. Most of the deer have solid deciduous horns, of the kind called antlers, in the male only; but in the reindeer they are present in both sexes; in the musk-deer (Moschinœ) they are wanting. The largest living deer are the elk of Europe and the moose of America; the smallest are the muntjacs and musk-deer, which are further distinguished by the large tusk-like canine teeth of the males. The term deer being so comprehensive, and the animals being so conspicuous, the leading kinds have mostly received distinctive names, as the reindeer, roe-deer, musk- deer, etc. (See these words, and also brocket, elk, moose, roe, stag, wapiti, caribou, black-tail.) Deer are found fossil as far back as the Pliocene period. The best-known extinct species is the Irish elk, Cervus megaceros. The leading genera of livingdeer are Alces, Rangifer, Dama, Cervus (with many subgenera), Capreolus, Cervulus, Mosehus, and Hydropotes. The species are numerous, and are found in most continental parts of the world, excepting southern Africa and Australia. The common deer of the United States is Cariacus virginianus. See Cariacus.
3. n. A term loosely applied to the chevrotains, of the family Tragulidæ (which see), from their resemblance to musk-deer.

Wiktionary

1. n. obsolete A beast, usually a quadruped as opposed to birds, fish, etc.
2. n. archaic (Esp. in phrase small deer) Any animal, especially a mammal.
3. n. zoology a ruminant mammal with antlers and hooves of the family Cervidae or one of several similar animals from related families of the order Artiodactyla
4. n. The meat of such an animal

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. obsolete Any animal; especially, a wild animal.
2. n. (Zoöl.) 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.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers