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What is the difference between deer and moose?

deer | moose |

As nouns the difference between deer and moose

is that deer is (obsolete) a beast, usually a quadruped as opposed to birds, fish, etc while moose is (us) the largest member of the deer family (alces alces ), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers or moose can be (obsolete|rare) a stew.

deer

English

Noun

(en-noun) (wikipedia deer)
  • A ruminant mammal with antlers and hooves of the family Cervidae'', or one of several similar animals from related families of the order ''Artiodactyla .
  • (lb) One of the smaller animals of this family, distinguished from a moose'' or ''elk .
  • I wrecked my car after a deer ran across the road.
  • The meat of such an animal; venison.
  • Oh, I've never had deer before.
  • A beast, especially a quadruped and especially a mammal, as opposed to a bird, fish, etc.
  • * (rfdate) William Shakespeare, King Lear , Act III. IV:
  • But mice and rats and such small deer , have been Tom's food for seven long year.

    Hyponyms

    * buck, stag (male deer) * doe (female deer) * fawn (young deer) * hart (adult deer)

    Derived terms

    * deerfly * deerlike * deer ked * deer's tongue * (Bactrian deer) * (Bawean deer) * (black-tailed deer) * (Calamian deer) * (Corsican red deer) * (vern, Eld's deer) * (European red deer) * fallow deer * (Formosan deer) * (Indian hog deer) * (Indochinese hog deer) * (Maral deer) * marsh deer * (Mindanao mountain deer) * (Mindoro deer) * mouse deer * mule deer * musk deer * pampas deer * * (vern, Prince Alfred's deer) * red deer * reindeer * roe deer * rusa deer * Schomburgk's deer * (sika deer) * (vern, Thorold's deer) * (Tsushima Island deer) * (Vietnamese deer) * (water deer) * white-tailed deer * (Yarkand deer)

    moose

    English

    Etymology 1

    Earlier mus'', ''moos , from a Northeastern (etyl) language name for the animal, such as (etyl) moos, mws (cognate to (etyl) moos, (etyl) mos, (etyl) moz), from , referring to how a moose strips tree bark when feeding. Online Etymology Dictionary

    Noun

  • (US) The largest member of the deer family (Alces alces ), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.
  • We saw a moose at the edge of the woods by the marsh .
  • (informal) An ugly person
  • Usage notes
    * The use of (as with the names of many animals, such as deer and fish, which are also invariant); however, this usage can sometimes be considered stilted when a group of more than one moose are considered individually, in which case avoidance of the plural may be the best option, necessitating the employment of a circumlocution.
    Synonyms
    * (l) (British), (l) (qualifier)
    Derived terms
    * moosebird * moose deer * mooseling * moosey * moose yard * mooseyness
    See also
    * (wikipedia "moose")

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) moes.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete, rare) A stew.