deer trail
1
3.9
- noun
:
sendero de ciervos
- Down through the dark stand of oak, following the deer trail, over the wet compacted dead leaves, the old men went.
- follow a deer trail
- use deer trails
- deer trails and bedding
Examples
-
One day on a walk around the peninsula (now that I think about it), with the wind blowing and clacking in the alder, I followed the impression of a logging road off the main path, then a deer trail, and found myself against a low embankment.
Academic text (1992) -
Look, if you cut through that... that deer trail, we can make it to the main road.
-
The dog ran off along a deer trail.
Fiction book (1999) -
I rode mostly in the woods on deer trails or trails my friend and I made.
Blog text (15) -
She hadn't seen him, and she was leading her fawn toward him up an old deer trail.
Fiction book (1993) -
The path was narrow, perhaps originally an old deer trail that had been widened over the years by the passage of Elvish hunters following game.
Fiction book (1992) -
If you follow the deer trail, you'll get to the clearing where they graze.
-
The hunters set up their camp near a well-worn deer trail to increase their chances of spotting wildlife.
-
Walking quietly along the deer trail, she could see fresh tracks in the mud.
Synonyms
231
1.4
A visible sign left where a person or animal has passed
39
2.7
A track made by people or animals that is worn down
1
7.0
Marks on the ground that animals, people, or vehicles make when they move
How Clear
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a direct composition of 'deer' (an animal) and 'trail' (a beaten path), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a path formed by deer. This is a transparent, cross-linguistically common noun+noun combination following ordinary English composition patterns, making it predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun deer trail comes from the simple image of a group of deer walking the same route until they wear a clear trail in the grass or leaves. That's why deer trail today means 'a narrow path in the woods or fields made by deer walking there many times'.