muntjac

American  

[muhnt-jak] / ˈmʌnt dʒæk /

Or muntjak

noun

1. any of various small Asian deer of the genus Muntiacus, noted for its barking call, especially M. muntjac, of South and Southeast Asia, and M. reevesi, native to China and introduced elsewhere, including England, Belgium, and Japan: the male muntjac has a pair of sharp, tusklike canines, and its short, sharp antlers grow from bony pedicles.

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muntjac British  

/ ˈmʌntˌdʒæk /

noun

1. Also called: barking deer.  any small Asian deer of the genus Muntiacus, typically having a chestnut-brown coat, small antlers, and a barklike cry

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Etymology

Origin of muntjac

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Dutch or directly from Sundanese mənyčək “a kind of chevrotain”; the reason for subsequent application to this deer is uncertain

Example Sentences

There are currently six deer species in Britain – red, sika, fallow, roe, muntjac and Chinese water - but only red and roe are "truly indigenous", according to the British Deer Society.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

Other BRI routes pose a risk to such iconic animals as the large-antlered muntjac, the Malayan tapir, the white-handed gibbon, the Sumatra serow, and the critically endangered Edwards’s pheasant.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 3, 2021

But as keepers tried to capture the muntjac near the Bird House, it sprinted out the front entrance of the zoo.

From Washington Post • Sep. 19, 2021

There is the biryani of wild muntjac deer, the seekh kebabs of quail and the deep, dark, duck curry, served with a crisp, feathery dosa and a little coconut chutney.

From The Guardian • Jul. 10, 2014

They told us that serow and muntjac were abundant and that wapiti were sometimes found on the mountains several miles to the northward.

From Camps and Trails in China A Narrative of Exploration, Adventure, and Sport in Little-Known China by Andrews, Roy Chapman