Reindeer word meaning and definition

[noun] arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called reindeer in Eurasia and caribou in North America

\Rein"deer`\ (r?n"d?r), n. [Icel. hreinn reindeer + E. deer. Icel. hreinn is of Lapp or Finnish origin; cf. Lappish reino pasturage.] [Formerly written also {raindeer}, and {ranedeer}.] (Zool.) Any ruminant of the genus {Rangifer}, of the Deer family, found in the colder parts of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and having long irregularly branched antlers, with the brow tines palmate. Note: The common European species ({R. tarandus}) is domesticated in Lapland. The woodland reindeer or caribou ({R. caribou}) is found in Canada and Maine (see {Caribou}.) The Barren Ground reindeer or caribou ({R. Gr[oe]nlandicus}), of smaller size, is found on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in both hemispheries. {Reindeer moss} (Bot.), a gray branching lichen ({Cladonia rangiferina}) which forms extensive patches on the ground in arctic and even in north temperature regions. It is the principal food of the Lapland reindeer in winter. {Reindeer period} (Geol.), a name sometimes given to a part of the Paleolithic era when the reindeer was common over Central Europe.

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