'Cervus' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'cervus', where the root meant 'deer'.

'Cervus' was the Classical Latin word 'cervus' and was adopted unchanged as the scientific genus name 'Cervus' in modern taxonomy (established by Linnaeus in the 18th century).

Initially it meant 'deer' in Latin; over time it has retained that sense and now denotes the deer genus in scientific classification.