muntjac

or munt·jak

[ muhnt-jak ]

noun
  1. any of various small Asian deer of the genus Muntiacus, noted for its barking call, especially M. muntjac, of South and Southeast Asia, and M. reevesi, native to China and introduced elsewhere, including England, Belgium, and Japan: the male muntjac has a pair of sharp, tusklike canines, and its short, sharp antlers grow from bony pedicles.

Origin of muntjac

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Dutch or directly from Sundanese mənyčək “a kind of chevrotain”; the reason for subsequent application to this deer is uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for muntjac

muntjac

muntjak

/ (ˈmʌntˌdʒæk) /


noun
  1. any small Asian deer of the genus Muntiacus, typically having a chestnut-brown coat, small antlers, and a barklike cry: Also called: barking deer

Origin of muntjac

1
C18: probably changed from Javanese mindjangan deer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012