chevrotain

2 synonyms for chevrotain, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — Any of several small hornless ruminant mammals of the family Tragulidae, found in the tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia and of Central and West Africa.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

mouse deer tragulid

How to use chevrotain

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

a chevrotain species wild chevrotains a chevrotain's habitat

It is a specialist zoological term, mostly seen in nature writing and scientific contexts.

Etymology

The word comes from French chevrotain, itself a diminutive of the Old French chevrot, meaning a young goat or kid. That in turn is a diminutive of chievre, the Old French word for goat, which traces back through Latin capra and caper to an ancient Proto-Indo-European root for a billy goat.

Full origin of chevrotain →

Frequently asked questions

What is a chevrotain?

A chevrotain is a small hornless ruminant mammal from the family Tragulidae, sometimes called a mouse deer. It lives in tropical rainforests in parts of Asia and Africa.

Is a chevrotain a deer?

Not exactly. It is commonly nicknamed the mouse deer, but it belongs to its own family, Tragulidae, rather than the true deer family.

Where do chevrotains live?

They are native to tropical rainforests in South and Southeast Asia, as well as Central and West Africa.

Nearby words

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