venison (English)
Where does "venison" come from?
The English noun 'venison' traces its roots to Middle English 'venisoun'[1], which was borrowed from Anglo-Norman 'veneisun'[1][3]. This Anglo-Norman term meant 'meat of large game, particularly deer or boar; hunt'[1]. Going back further, it derives from the Latin 'vēnātiō' or 'vēnātiōnem', meaning 'hunt; meat from a hunt'[1][3]. The Latin noun itself stems from the verb 'vēnor', meaning 'I hunt'[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the Latin root in Proto-Indo-European is disputed between bases meaning to chase or to strive, wish, and love. [4]
Full etymology tree
- venison (English), 'The meat of a deer, especially one that was hunted in its own natural habitat.'
- inherited venisoun (Middle English), 'One's quarry or prey; the animal that one is hunting, especially deer.'
- borrowed veneisun (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited venationem (Latin), 'accusative singular of vēnātiō'
- derived venatio (Latin), 'hunting, the chase, venery'
- suffix venor (Latin), 'to chase, hunt, pursue game/quarry'
- suffix -tio (Latin), '-tion, -ation, -ing; suffixed to verbs to form action nouns denoting a process, action, or result of an action.'
- derived venatio (Latin), 'hunting, the chase, venery'
- inherited venationem (Latin), 'accusative singular of vēnātiō'
- borrowed veneisun (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited venisoun (Middle English), 'One's quarry or prey; the animal that one is hunting, especially deer.'
Ancestors
- venisoun (Middle English)
- venatio (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- venatio (English)
Sources
- venison (English) - Wiktionary
- venatio (Latin) - Wiktionary
- venisoun (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- venor (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris