pelandokn.
/pəˈlandək/, /ˈpɛləndɒk/, U.S. /pəˈlɑndək/, /ˈpɛləndɑk/ Esp. in Malaysia: the lesser mouse deer or lesser Malay chevrotain, Tragulus javanicus.The pelandok features widely in Malaysian folklore as the type of a cunning hero (cf. quot. 1954).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > [noun] > family Tragulidae (chevrotain)
musk-goat1601
musk deer1673
pelandok1701
hog deer1711
Guinea deer1752
chevrotain1774
mouse deer1778
kanchil1822
napoh1822
tragule1859
water chevrotain1866
traguline1872
deerlet1878
tragulid1889
traguloid1891
1701 T. Bowrey Dict. Eng. & Malayo sig. Bbbbv/1 That creature is called Palandock, that is to say in English a Hare, this Creature is as I have been informed about the bigness of a large Hare, has a transparent horn about the bigness of a Cocks spur, which grows out of the middle of the forehead.
1822 Trans. Linn. Soc. 13 261 Moschus. The Malays distinguish three species or varieties of this genus, viz. the Napu,..the Kanchil.., and the Pelandok.
1836 J. Low Diss. Soil & Agric. Penang iii. 188 The plandok, or cheurotin [sic] of Buffon, or hornless deer, about the size of a hare, is plentiful.
1913 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 43 477 Since the other animals were standing on each other's backs in the hole.., the plandok was able to scramble up to the top on their backs and make his escape from the place.
1954 M. W. F. Tweedie & J. L. Harrison Malayan Animal Life i. 7 In Malay fairy stories the Pĕlandok plays the same role as the famous Brer Rabbit of the stories from North America. He is the little fellow who gets the better of the bigger and stronger animals by superior cunning.
1999 Sunday Times (Nexis) 24 Jan. (Features section) In appreciation, he presented us with two live pelandok mouse deer.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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