Odocoileus hemionus
- noun
- /oʊdəˈkoʊliəs ˈhɛmɪənəs/
- Specialized
:
Odocoileus hemionus
- The Odocoileus hemionus is distinguished by its large ears and distinctive antler shape.
Examples
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Researchers observed several Odocoileus hemionus grazing on the open plain at dusk.
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The Odocoileus hemionus is often seen in the western United States.
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Conservation efforts have helped stabilize the population of Odocoileus hemionus in many regions.
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Look at that Odocoileus hemionus!
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Conservation efforts have helped stabilize the population of Odocoileus hemionus in many regions.
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Researchers observed several Odocoileus hemionus grazing on the open plain at dusk.
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The Odocoileus hemionus is distinguished by its large ears and distinctive antler shape.
Synonyms
4
5.6
A large deer with long ears and antlers that split into two in western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Odocoileus + hemionus
This is a Latin scientific binomial rather than a regular English phrase; its meaning ('mule deer') is not compositionally derivable from the parts. While 'Odocoileus' is glossed as a deer genus, 'hemionus' is not an English morpheme and taxonomic labels are specialized, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent items would not be able to infer the common-name meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Odocoileus hemionus is a scientific name that describes how the animal looks: Odocoileus is the deer group and hemionus may mean 'mule-like'. Because this deer has large mule-like ears and forked antlers, people call it the 'mule deer' today.