[shev-ruh-teyn, -tin] 
| any very small, deerlike ruminant of the family Tragulidae, of Africa, tropical Asia, the Malay Peninsula, etc. |
| chev·ro·tain (shěv'rə-tān') n. Any of several small deerlike hornless ruminants of the genera Hyemoschus and Tragulus native to the tropical rain forests of central Africa, India, and southeast Asia. Also called mouse deer. [French chevrotin, from Old French, diminutive of chevrot, kid, diminutive of chevre, goat, from Latin capra, she-goat, feminine of caper, goat.] |
| mouse deer n. See chevrotain. [Probably alteration of musk deer (influenced by mouse, from its small size).] |
