red deer

IPA/ˌred ˈdɪə(r)/
IPA/ˌred ˈdɪr/

red deer — noun

1. a type of medium-to-large deer that lives in forests across Europe and parts of

1.nounB1
Definition

a type of medium-to-large deer that lives in forests across Europe and parts of western Asia; its coat turns reddish-brown in summer, and adult males grow large branched antlers that are shed each winter

Example

In the Carpathian Mountains, Sora and his father saw a red deer in a clearing.

pattern: a + red deer as countable noun

The Scottish nature reserve is home to over two thousand red deer roaming the hills.

collocation: home to + [number] + red deer

Common collocations
  • herd of red deer
  • red deer stag
  • red deer population
  • red deer habitat
Synonyms
  • stag

    refers only to an adult male red deer, not the species as a whole

  • hind

    refers only to an adult female red deer, not the species as a whole

Grammar Patterns

a red deer

[number] red deer

herd of red deer

Usage Note

The plural form is the same as the singular: one red deer, two red deer. A male red deer is called a stag and a female is called a hind.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all relate to red deer but differ in scope and specificity. Stag refers specifically to an adult male red deer, typically one at least five years old with a full set of antlers. Hind is the female counterpart — an adult female red deer without antlers. Elk can cause confusion: in British English, elk refers to a separate, larger deer species (Alces alces, also called moose in North America), but in some older or technical usage, elk was used interchangeably with red deer. For learners, the safest approach is to use red deer when referring to the species and stag or hind when specifying the animal's sex. For example: 'A stag broke from the herd and crossed the river,' or 'A hind stayed close to her calf in the tall grass.'

stag ↗hind ↗elk

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • red deer hunting
  • red deer watching
  • red deer forest

Prepositions

  • of red deer
  • in [area/region]

Etymology

Old EnglishModern English

The name red deer comes from Old English rēad (meaning 'red') and dēor (meaning 'animal' or 'deer'), referring to the animal's reddish-brown summer coat, which is more noticeable than in other deer species found in the same regions.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined above