fallow deer

noun

: a deer (Dama dama synonym Cervus dama) of variable color with palmate antlers in the male and typically a yellow-brown coat spotted with white in the summer that was originally of Mediterranean regions of Europe and Asia but has been introduced elsewhere

Illustration of fallow deer

Examples of fallow deer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Blackbuck antelope, exotic European fallow deer, and Japanese beef cattle are among the creatures that dwell on the property. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2024

Charlie Burrell and Isabella Tree’s 3500-acre rewilding and regenerative farming project has turned marginal lands into a home to a remarkable array of wildlife—everything from red and fallow deer to Exmoor ponies and turtle doves roam free here—and an abundance of flora. —Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024

According to The British Deer Society, the white animal could've been a fallow deer, a species of deer found in Europe that comes in several color types, including white. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 12 Oct. 2023

Marine mines drifting in from the Black Sea stalled the release of fallow deer, and monitoring activities of Dalmatian Pelicans were limited to binoculars and telescopes because parts of the Delta were restricted by the Ukrainian government. —Johanna Chisholm, WIRED, 23 July 2023

Within a few years, a handful of cornerstone species, including marmots, red and fallow deer, wild hamsters, and koniks—ponies thought to be distant descendants of the now extinct European wild horse—were once again roaming the countryside. —Johanna Chisholm, WIRED, 23 July 2023

Other finds at the site suggested Neanderthals hunted a wide array of animals across a lake landscape populated by wildhorses, fallow deer and red deer. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 2 Feb. 2023

One of the fallow deer studied appeared to have been felled with a spear thrust to the neck, which perforated one of the animal's cervical vertebra. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2018

There are multiple native and exotic wildlife on the property that includes whitetail, fallow deer, axis deer, blackbuck antelope, Rio Grande turkey, and dove. —Gabriel Romero, Chron, 24 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

fallow entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fallow deer

noun

: a small European deer with broad antlers and a pale yellow coat spotted white in the summer

Etymology

from earlier fallow "a pale yellowish brown color"