Venison

/ˈvɛnɪzən/ noun

Definition

The meat of a deer used as food.

Etymology

From Old French 'venison' meaning hunting/hunted game, derived from Latin 'venatio' meaning hunt. Interestingly, it comes from a word meaning hunt, not hunt-able animal.

Kelly Says

In medieval Europe, only nobles were allowed to hunt deer and eat venison—regular people who killed a deer could lose a hand! So the word 'venison' became fancy food language, unlike 'beef' or 'pork' which are what farmers raised. Language reveals class history.

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