roe deer
nounUK /ˈɹəʊˌdɪə/ · US /ˈɹoʊˌdɪɹ/
Etymology From Middle English ro der, roadeor, from Old English rāhdēor (“roe deer”), corresponding to roe + deer. Cognate with Icelandic rádýr, Swedish rådjur, Norwegian and Danish rådyr.
1
A small, nimble Eurasian deer with no visible tail, a white rump patch, and a reddish summer coat that turns grey in winter, the male having short three-pointed antlers (Capreolus capreolus and Capreolus pygargus).
- Frightened by the noises approaching them from the rear, and apprehensive of the human silence ahead, the five roe deer were halted, their heads high in nervous alertness.1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate, published 2012, page 84:
- Derived terms
- eastern roe deer, Siberian roe deer, western roe deer
- Related terms
- roebuck