venison

noun

ven·​i·​son ˈve-nə-sən 

 also  -zən,

 British usually  ˈven-zən

plural venisons also venison

: the edible flesh of a game animal and especially a deer

Examples of venison in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Of all the classic Pennsylvania dishes to grace the table during afternoon tea at Elwood in Philadelphia—cubes of venison scrapple, smoked catfish crackers with sour cream and caviar, shoofly cake—the best among them was merely a condiment. —Adam Erace, Saveur, 1 May 2025

The result is a rich, velvety texture with a subtle sweetness that pairs especially well with game meats like venison or reindeer. —David Nikel, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

That often meant mixing wild game such as venison, squirrel, rabbit, wild turkey and even pigeon or possum into a pot with carrots, onions, corn and okra. —Brian Bennett, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Expect mostly classic American fare—the deer camp pie, an Upper Peninsula riff on shepherd’s pie with venison, is a personal favorite. —Jacqueline Kehoe, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venisoun "game animal, meat of a game animal," borrowed from Anglo-French veneisun, going back to Latin vēnātiōn-, vēnātiō "hunting, game animals," from vēnārī "to go hunting, hunt" (probably derivative of a nominal stem *wēn- "hunting, of the hunt," lengthened-grade derivative of a verbal stem *wen- "wish, desire") + -tiōn-, tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at venus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Video

Words of the Year: 1066

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

Kids Definition

venison

noun

ven·​i·​son ˈven-ə-sən 

 also  -ə-zən

: the flesh of a deer used as food

Etymology

Middle English venison "the flesh of a game animal hunted for food," from early French veneisun "flesh of hunted animals, venison," from Latin venation-, venatio, "hunting," from venari "to hunt"