reindeer

Where does the word "reindeer" come from? It comes from Old Norse hreinn, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Reindeer’s story begins in Old Norse: hreinn meant “the reindeer.” The name for the antlered deer of the subarctic tundra. It reached English by 1400s as reindeer. Settled as the English word for the domesticated northern deer. Today, reindeer means a large antlered deer native to subarctic and arctic regions, often domesticated.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval hreinn "the reindeer", the name for the antlered deer of the subarctic tundra.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s reindeer "an antlered deer of subarctic and arctic regions", settled as the English word for the domesticated northern deer.