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. veação, It. venagione):—L. vēnātiōn-em hunting, f. vēnāri to hunt.]
1. 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., trans. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ibid. (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. 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. 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 ye heade of euery strete like a taken venyson.
1588. Parke, trans. Mendoza’s Hist. China, 9. One whole venison is bought for two rials.
1611. Shaks., 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 fyve 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 be 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, plate, provider, salesman, thief, etc.; venison-like adj.
1567. 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, pasty, pie.
1598. Shaks., 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 Filius, No. 1. 4. To see the virtuous munificence of founders … tost up in fricasees and venison pasties.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, vi. Thorncliff’s person, stuffed as it is with beef, venison-pasty, and pudding.
1845. Thackeray, Gt. Hoggarty Diamond, iv. Since my venison dinner and drive with Lady Doldrum.
1864. C. Geikie, Life in Woods, vi. (1874), 117. Venison pie,… for days after, furnished quite a treat in the house.
Hence Venisonized ppl. a., cooked so as to resemble venison. Venisonivorous a., given to eating venison. nonce-words.
c. 1831. G. C. Lewis, Lett. (1870), 10. People are very venisonivorous.
1881. Annie R. Ellis, Sylvestra, II. 29. The venisonized loin of mutton, which was her grand piece, savours better to the reader.
