venison

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English venesoun, also venisoun and veneison,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French veneson, also venison and veneison,^[5][2][6][7] variants of venoison,^[2][3] modern French venaison.^[5][7][8] The Anglo-Norman form veneisun is recorded from 1121–25, meaning game, the flesh of game, and also illegal hunting.^[9] The French word continues Latin vēnātiō (“hunting, the chase; game”),^{[5][3][10][11]} from vēnātus, the past participle of vēnor (“to hunt, pursue”).^{[3][10][8][6]} Etymonline takes the verb as probably from Proto-Indo-European *wen- (“to desire, strive for”),^[3][10] Barnhart relates it to venus (“love, desire”),^[4] and Ayto thinks it may be distantly related to English win.^[11] The same Latin noun gave Portuguese veação and Italian venagione.^[5][12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The flesh of a particular game animal used as food: about 1290, in the South English Legendary.^[5] The general sense, the flesh of an animal killed in the hunt, follows before 1300 in Havelok.^[5] Barnhart's first record is probably before 1300, in Arthour and Merlin,^[4] and Etymonline dates the word to about 1300.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The Latin noun had already moved from "hunting" to "hunted animals, game",^[11][4] and Old French used its descendant for the meat of large game, especially deer or boar, and also for a hunt.^[3][4] In Middle English venison covered the hunted animal itself, often collectively, from 1338 in Robert Mannyng's Chronicle, and its meat;^[5][2] the OED notes that it was formerly used of the flesh of the boar, hare, rabbit and other game as well as the deer.^[5] Chaucer used it once, of a deer thief ("A theef of venysoun"), and Gower once, of the game itself.^[13][2] A rare sense, the practice of hunting, is found from 1390, in Gower, to 1520.^[5][14] Johnson (1755) still defined the word as game, a beast of chase and the flesh of deer.^[15] According to Ayto the narrowing to deer meat did not begin until the 18th century,^[11] and the word is now usually restricted to it.^[3][14]

Timeline

• c. 1290 – the flesh of a named game animal, as food.^[5]
• before 1300 – the flesh of an animal killed by hunting, used as food.^[5][4]
• 1338 – a wild animal hunted for food or sport, especially a deer; also game collectively.^[5]
• 1390 – the practice of hunting (obsolete by 1520).^[5]
• 18th century – deer meat in particular.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. The meat of a deer, eaten as food: a venison stew with juniper berries.^{[16][6][14][5]}
2. (archaic) The meat of any game animal killed by hunting.^[16][6][5]
3. (archaic) A game animal, especially a deer; also such animals collectively.^[6][5][14]
4. (obsolete, 1390–1520) The practice of hunting; venery.^[5][14][2]

Related words

• venery
• venatic
• venerate
• win

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster gives a chiefly British pronunciation in two syllables,^[6] and Johnson's 1773 edition notes that Chapman spelled the word venzon, as it was spoken.^[15] In the archaic phrase vert and venison the word means game animals collectively.^[12][9] In Scotland, among the lower classes, venison was also used for goat's flesh.^[17]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
10. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
11. ^ a b c d e Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
12. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
13. ^ Benson, Larry D., Glossarial Concordance to Middle English (Chaucer, Gower), Johns Hopkins University, github.com/jhu-digital-manuscripts/gcme
14. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
15. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
16. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
17. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)