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

Three other Asiatic species - sika, Chinese water deer and muntjac - all arrived in the late 19th Century.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

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

He had just made a beautiful shot, for the clearing he had been watching was not more than ten feet wide and the muntjac flashed across it at full speed.

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