Definition of chevrotain in English:
chevrotain
noun ˈʃɛvrəteɪnˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn
A small deerlike mammal with small tusks, typically nocturnal and found in the tropical rainforests of Africa and southern Asia.
Family Tragulidae: genera Tragulus (three Asian species) and Hyemoschus (one African species)
Also called mouse deer
Example sentencesExamples
- Ecologically, they range from forest dwellers, such as wild pigs and chevrotains, to dominant large herbivores on grasslands.
- In the Duala headdresses, the animal is an antelope, perhaps the African water chevrotain that was once common in the Delta and the Wouri estuary.
- The parallel antelope masking forms of the Ijebu Agbo society are associated with a water spirit of Ijo derivation based on the African water chevrotain.
Origin
Late 18th century: from French, diminutive of Old French chevrot, diminutive of chèvre 'goat'.
Definition of chevrotain in US English:
chevrotain
nounˈSHevrəˌtānˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn
A small deerlike mammal with short tusks, typically nocturnal and found in the tropical rainforests of Africa and southern Asia.
Family Tragulidae: genera Moschiola (one Asian species), Tragulus (two Asian species), and Hyemoschus (one African species)
Also called mouse deer
Example sentencesExamples
- The parallel antelope masking forms of the Ijebu Agbo society are associated with a water spirit of Ijo derivation based on the African water chevrotain.
- In the Duala headdresses, the animal is an antelope, perhaps the African water chevrotain that was once common in the Delta and the Wouri estuary.
- Ecologically, they range from forest dwellers, such as wild pigs and chevrotains, to dominant large herbivores on grasslands.
Origin
Late 18th century: from French, diminutive of Old French chevrot, diminutive of chèvre ‘goat’.