Meanings
alternative roedeer
- 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
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA 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).
More synonyms by meaning
nounsmall graceful deer of Eurasian woodlands having small forked antlers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishrāhdēor“roe deer”
- Middle Englishro der
- Englishroe deer
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δορκάς, πρόξ
- δορκάς (dorkás)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- πρόξ (próx)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Arabic يَحْمُور, يَأْمُور
- يَحْمُور (yaḥmūr)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- يَأْمُور (yaʔmūr)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Basque orkatz
- orkatzCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Bulgarian сърна́
- сърна́ (sărná)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Catalan cabirol
- cabirolCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Chinese Mandarin 西方狍
- 西方狍 (xīfāngpáo)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Czech srna, srnec
- srnaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- srnecCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Danish rådyr
- rådyrCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Dutch ree
- reeCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Esperanto kapreolo
- kapreoloCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Estonian metskits
- metskitsCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Finnish metsäkauris
- metsäkaurisCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
French chevreuil
- chevreuilCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
German Reh
- RehCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Greek ζαρκάδι
- ζαρκάδι (zarkádi)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Hebrew אַיַּל הַכַּרְמֶל
- אַיַּל הַכַּרְמֶל (ayál hakarmél)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Hungarian őz
- őzCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Icelandic rádýr
- rádýrCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Irish fia odhar
- fia odharCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Italian capriolo
- caprioloCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Japanese 麕, 麕鹿
- 麕 (noro)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- 麕鹿 (norojika)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Korean 노루
- 노루 (noru)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Latin caprea
- capreaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Latvian stirna
- stirnaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Lithuanian stirna
- stirnaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Malay kijang
- kijangCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Norwegian rådyr
- rådyrCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Persian شوکا
- شوکا (šukâ)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Polish sarna
- sarnaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Portuguese corço
- corçoCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Romanian căprior, căprioară
- căpriorCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- căprioarăCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Russian косу́ля
- косу́ля (kosúlja)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Scottish Gaelic earb, seang
- earbCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
- seangCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Slovak srna
- srnaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Spanish corzo
- corzoCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Swedish rådjur
- rådjurCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Turkish karaca
- karacaCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Ukrainian козу́ля
- козу́ля (kozúlja)Capreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Welsh iwrch
- iwrchCapreolus capreolus or Capreoles pygargus
Cite this entry
roe deer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roe%20deer
“roe deer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roe%20deer. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “roe deer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roe%20deer.
Source: roe deer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.