Etymology Map
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Deer

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means a hoofed grazing animal; the males usually have antlers

Where does the word "deer" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic deuzą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
deuzą
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"animal"
German 'Tier' still means any animal
2
Stage 2 of 3
dēor
Old English · 700s-1000s
"wild animal"
meant any wild animal; Shakespeare's 'rats and mice and such small deer' keeps the old sense
3
Stage 3 of 3
deer
English · 1500s
"deer"
narrowed to the antlered animal during the Middle Ages
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Deer’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: deuzą meant “animal.” German 'Tier' still means any animal. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as dēor. Meant any wild animal; Shakespeare's 'rats and mice and such small deer' keeps the old sense. It reached English by 1500s as deer. Narrowed to the antlered animal during the Middle Ages. Today, deer means a hoofed grazing animal; the males usually have antlers.