venison
(ˈvɛnz(ə)n, ˈvɛnɪz(ə)n, ˈvɛnɪs(ə)n)
Forms: α. 3–5 venesun, 3–6 veneson, 4 veneison, ueneysun, 4–5 venesoun, 5 Sc. wennesone, 6 vennesoun, 7 venneson; 4 venisun, 4–5 venisoun, 5 venisyn, 6 venicen, vennisone, 7 venizon, 4– venison; 4–5 venysoun, 4–6 venyson, 5 venysone, -soune, -sowne, vennysoun, Sc. wenysoune, -son. β. 5 vensoun, 6–8 venson, 7–8 ven'son, 7 (9) venzon.
[a. AF. veneso(u)n, veneysun, venysoun, venison, OF. veneson, veneisun, venison, venoison (mod.F. venaison, = Pr. venaizo, venazo, obs. Sp. venacion, Pg. vea{cced}ão, It. venagione):—L. vēnātiōn-em hunting, f. vēnāri to hunt.]
1. a. The flesh of an animal killed in the chase or by hunting and used as food; formerly applied to the flesh of the deer, boar, hare, rabbit, or other game animal, now almost entirely restricted to the flesh of various species of deer. Cf. b.
| α a 1300 Havelok 1726 Kranes, swannes, ueneysun, Lax, lampreys, and god sturgun. 13.. K. Alis. 5233 (Laud MS.), To mete was greiþed beef & motoun, Bredes, briddes, & venysoun. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 89 Þei..eteþ no flesche but venysoun. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 28 A sawce hit is For vele and venyson, iwys. c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 662 Hec ferina, wenyson. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxi. 463 Soo toke he a dysshe that was before hym, that was full of venyson, and sente it to hym by a squyre of his. a 1500 Remedie of Loue in Thynne Chaucer (1532) 367 b/2 Venyson stolne is aye the swetter. 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 200 They sel in this market venison by quarters or whole, as Does, Hares, Conies,..and many other beastes, which they bring up for the purpose, and take in hunting. 1598 J. Manwood Lawes Forest v. (1615) 49 Amongst the common sort of people, nothing is accompted Venison, but the flesh of Red and Fallow Deere. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 149 Hares are thought to nourish melancoly, yet they are eaten as Venison, both rosted and boyled. 1672 J. Josselyn New Eng. Rarities 48 Bears are very fat in the fall of the leaf, at which time they are excellent venison. 1736 Sheridan in Swift Lett. (1768) IV. 167 Our venison is plenty: our weather too hot for its carriage. 1769 Gray Lett., etc. (1775) 363 Fell mutton is..in season..; it grows fat on the mountains, and nearly resembles venison. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. ix, The huntsman's knife, presented to her for the purpose of making the first incision in the stag's breast, and thereby discovering the quality of the venison. 1837 W. Irving Capt. Bonneville III. 63 The party..hunted for a few days, until they had laid in a supply of dried buffalo meat and venison. 1885 J. G. Bertram Brit. Alm. Comp. 70 The best venison for the table is supplied by the fallow deer raised in the home parks of England. |
| β c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 689 in Babees Bk., Capoun, pigge, vensoun bake, leche lombard. 1502–3 Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 248 Payd..ffor a reward for bryngyng of venson. 1598 J. Manwood Lawes Forest v. (1615) 50 Our eldest English writers doe call the same Venson, and not Venison: But by what reason I see not. 1697 Dryden æneid i. 274 The jars of gen'rous wine..He set abroach, and for the feast prepar'd, In equal portions with the ven'son shar'd. 1717 Prior Alma i. 378 If You Dine with my Lord May'r, Roast-beef, and Ven'son is your Fare. 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 220 Turtle and ven'son all his thoughts employ. 1784 ― Task iv. 612 Whoso seeks an audit here Propitious, pays his tribute, game or fish, Wild-fowl or ven'son. |
b. With
of (an animal) or defining term.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 472 Huy nomen with heom into heore schip bred i-novȝ and wyn, Venesun of heort and hynd, and of wilde swyn. a 1400 Sqr. lowe Degre 324 Storkes and snytes ther were also, And venyson freshe of bucke and do. c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) iii, Þe venysoun of hem [i.e. bucks] is reght goode, and ykept and salted, as þat of þe hert. 1545 Elyot, Aprugna, the venyson of a wylde boore. 1609 Bible (Douay) 1 Kings iv. 23 The venison of hartes, roes, and buffles. 1648 Hexham ii, Het wildt-braedt van een Beer, the Venison of a wilde Boare. 1650 Fuller Pisgah i. v. 12 Venison both red and fallow. 1814 Scott Wav. xii. note, The learned in cookery..hold roe-venison dry and indifferent food, unless [etc.]. 1852 Mundy Antipodes (1857) 6 A haunch of kangaroo venison. 1885 J. G. Bertram Brit. Alm. Comp. 70 A haunch of red deer venison is not much appreciated, as it is expensive and troublesome to cook. |
c. Used allusively (see
quot.).
| 1579 J. Northbrooke Dicing (1843) 22, I pray God the olde prouerbe be not found true, that gentlemen and riche men are venison in Heauen (that is), very rare and daintie to haue them there. |
2. a. Any beast of chase or other wild animal killed by hunting,
esp. one of the deer kind. Now
arch.| 13.. K. Alis. 1863 (Laud MS.), Hij charged many a selcouþe beeste..Wiþ Armure & ek vitayles; Longe Cartes wiþ pauylounes, Hors & oxen wiþ venisounes. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 64 Whan Harald or þe kyng wild com þider eftsons In þe tyme of g[r]ese, to tak þam venysons. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 51 To chase the Bore or the Veneson, The Wolfe, the Bere and the Bawson. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 234 He sittand in a busk..bydand the venysoun come stalkand by him stillely. 1535 Coverdale Isaiah li. 20 Thy sonnes lie comfortles at y⊇ heade of euery strete like a taken venyson. 1588 Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 9 One whole venison is bought for two rials. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. iii. 75 He that strikes The Venison first, shall be the Lord o' th' Feast. 1651 Cleveland Poems 12 The Ven'sons now in view, our hounds spend deeper. 1727 [Dorrington] Philip Quarll 15 Ten to one but I may give you a Venison. 1854 Thoreau Walden (1884) 302 One [hare] sat by my door... I took a step, and..away it scud with an elastic spring,..the wild free venison, asserting its vigor. 1876 Forest & Stream 13 July 368/2 When you see a ‘venzon’, shoot him, shoot him, When you shoot a venson, send me some to cook. |
b. collect. (See
quot. 1603.) Now
arch.| α 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 112 Þe kyng..Forsters did somoun, enquered vp & doun, Whilk men of toun had taken his venysoun. c 1386 Chaucer Doctor's T. 83 A theof of venisoun..Can kepe a forest best of every man. c 1400 Brut 105 Þe Kyng Elle was gon to þe wode him forto desporte: and of venysoun somdele he hade tak. 1464 Rolls of Parlt. V. 533 The surveyng aswell of the Verte as of the Venyson of oure forest. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. i. clxxii. (1516) 99/2 Yet therin is Venyson and other wylde beestes, and Fowle, and Fysshe great plente. 1550 J. Coke Eng. & Fr. Heralds §6 You say you have fayre forestes, chases and parkes full of venyson marvelous. 1603 G. Owen Pembrokeshire (1892) 268 The fyv sortes of beastes of the Foreste..as alsoe the fyve sortes of the beastes of Chace, all which ten sortes are comprehended vnder the name of Venison. 1680 Morden Geog. Rect. (1685) 347 Their Venison is the Wild Boar, the Hart, the Stag, the Fallow Deer and Hare, which are most excellent. 1700 Tyrrell Hist. Eng. II. 819 The Verderers and Foresters shall meet to view the Attachments of the Forest, as well of Vert, as Venison. 1791 W. Gilpin Forest Scenery II. 17 Under him are two distinct appointments of officers; the one to preserve the venison of the forest; and the other to preserve its vert. 1854 Thoreau Walden xiii, I was interested in the preservation of the venison and the vert more than the hunters. |
| β 1597 Constable Poems (1859) 75 Course the fearefulle Hare, Venson do not spare. a 1618 Sylvester Little Bartas 484 Wks. (Grosart) II. 89 For Him, the Mountains, downs, & Forrests breed Buffs, Beefs, Sheep, Venzon. |
† 3. The action or practice of hunting; venery.
Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 68 Ther scholde he with his Dart on honde Upon the Tigre and the Leon Pourchace and take his veneison. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xv. xxxiv. (Tollem. MS.), These men..gon aboute in large wildirnesse as wylde men,..and lyuen by prayes and by venison. c 1520 Adam Bell, Clim of Clough, etc. iv, They were outlawed for venyson, These thre yemen euerechone. |
4. attrib. and
Comb., as
venison dish,
venison plate,
venison provider,
venison salesman,
venison thief, etc.;
venison-like adj.| 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest 74 b, His flesh is Venesonlike: for the which he is so often hunted. 1734 Arbuthnot in Pope Lett. (1735) I. 340 My Venison Stomach is gone. a 1743 R. Savage Progr. Divine Wks. 1777 II. 120 Some plunder fishponds; others (ven'son thieves) The forest ravage. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v., Thus, in some places, the wolf and the fox are reckoned among the Venison beasts. 1854 Poultry Chron. II. 167 Thomas Fricker, Game, Poultry, Pork, Venison, and Egg Salesman. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Venison-dish, a metal dish to keep venison hot at table. Ibid., Venison-plate, a hot plate for eating venison on. 1897 Outing XXIX. 437/2 A hound⁓master, gamekeeper, and venison provider. |
b. In the sense of ‘made of or with, consisting of, venison’, as
venison dinner,
venison ham,
venison pasty,
venison pâté,
venison pie,
venison steak.
| 1598 Shakes. Merry W. i. i. 202 We haue a hot Venison pasty to dinner. 1665 in Maitland Club Miscell. (1840) II. 527 For Venusone py, 005 08 00. 1681 T. Flatman Heraclitus Ridens No. 28 (1713) I. 184 The Whigs shall not always Rule the Roast, nor the Custards and Venison-Pasties neither. 1721 Amherst Terræ Fil. No. 1. 4 To see the virtuous munificence of founders..tost up in fricasees and venison pasties. 1772 B. Romans Jrnl. 16 Jan. in Nat. Hist. Florida (1775) 331, I purchased some bear, bacon and venison hams of them. 1788 M. Cutler Jrnl. 7 Sept. (1888) I. 419 Dined..on venison steak and squirrel pie; very good dinner. 1818 Scott Rob Roy vi, Thorncliffs person, stuffed as it is with beef, venison-pasty, and pudding. 1833 J. Hall Harp's Head 214 A little further up were venison steaks, then fried ham. 1841 Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. iv, Since my venison dinner and drive with Lady Doldrum. 1860 E. J. Lewis Jrnl. 26 May in Colorado Mag. (1937) XIV. 219 Bought some venison ham for a dollar. 1864 C. Geikie Life in Woods vi. (1874) 117 Venison pie,..for days after, furnished quite a treat in the house. 1975 Harpers & Queen May 68/2 The chef makes the most delicious venison paté. 1980 J. Wainwright Man of Law xliv. 205 Venison pâté sandwiches and watered-down whisky. 1980 C. & T. Conran Cook Bk. II. 248/1 Charcoal grilled venison. 1 venison steak from the leg or loin, weighing 2–3 lb. |
Hence
ˈvenisonized ppl. a., cooked so as to resemble venison.
venisoˈnivorous a., given to eating venison.
nonce-wds.| c 1831 G. C. Lewis Lett. (1870) 10 People are very venisonivorous. 1881 A. R. Ellis Sylvestra II. 29 The venisonized loin of mutton. |