A reindeer is a deer with large horns called antlers that lives in northern areas of Europe, Asia, and America.
reindeer in British English
(ˈreɪnˌdɪə)
nounWord forms: plural-deer or -deers
a large deer, Rangifer tarandus, having large branched antlers in the male and female and inhabiting the arctic regions of Greenland, Europe, and Asia. It also occurs in North America, where it is known as a caribou
Word origin
C14: from Old Norse hreindӯri, from hreinn reindeer + dyr animal; related to Dutch rendier, German Rentier; see deer
reindeer in American English
(ˈreɪnˌdɪr)
nounWord forms: pluralˈreinˌdeer or Rareˈreinˌdeers
any of a genus (Rangifer) of large deer, including the caribou, with branching antlers in both sexes, found in northern regions: it is domesticated as a beast of burden and as a source of milk, meat, and leather
Word origin
ME reindere < ON hreindȳri < hreinn, reindeer (< IE *erei-, horned animal < base *er-, top of the head, horn > horn, L cerebrum) + dȳr, animal, deer