muntjac

noun

munt·​jac ˈmən(t)-ˌjak How to pronounce muntjac (audio)
ˈmən-ˌchak
: any of a genus (Muntiacus) of small deer of southeastern Asia with an alarm call similar to the bark of a dog and having in the male elongated, downward-pointing upper canine teeth which protrude from the lip and short, usually unbranched, pointed antlers : barking deer
Would-be predators risk flesh-ripping tusks, or long canine teeth, which extend an inch or two from muntjacs' mouths.Noel Vietmeyer
A muntjac or barking deer, was found in the Vu Quang Preserve in Nghe Tinh Province, Vietnam.Tom Hilchey

Illustration of muntjac

Illustration of muntjac

Examples of muntjac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the comments, people who had never heard of a muntjac deer noted how unique and otherworldly Biscuit's appearance is. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 13 Apr. 2023 More data on the sequences collected around the market would help pinpoint which animal or animals (or humans, for that matter) sparked the outbreak; for now, raccoon dogs, red foxes, badgers, porcupines, muntjac deer, and marmots seem the most likely mammals. Melody Schreiber, The New Republic, 9 Mar. 2022 Wildlife captively bred in Enshi before the pandemic included potential intermediate hosts such as palm civets, raccoon dogs, porcupines, wild boars, hedgehogs, rodents, ferret badgers, ocelots, muntjac deer and flying squirrels, official business registries show. Michael Standaert and Eva Dou, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Oct. 2021 One dogged British researcher has convincingly shown that the Rendlesham case, or Britain’s Roswell, probably consisted of a concatenation of a meteor, a lighthouse perceived through woods and fog, and the uncanny sounds made by a muntjac deer. The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2021 According to The Independent, farmers will be compensated about $88 per porcupine; $84 per civet cat; $11 per kilogram of bamboo rat; $17 per kilogram of cobra, king rattle or rat snakes; and $345 per wild goose or Chinese muntjac deer. Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, 19 May 2020 For instance, the giant muntjac wasn't officially recorded in scientific literature until 1994, just two years after the saola was announced. John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 11 Nov. 2019 In spite of the recent large-antlered muntjac sighting, researchers are worried about the animal’s viability. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 26 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'muntjac.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Sundanese (Austronesian language of western Java) mənyčək

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muntjac was in 1771

Dictionary Entries Near muntjac

Cite this Entry

“Muntjac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muntjac. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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