The word 'venison' derives from the Latin vēnor, meaning "to hunt or pursue". This term entered the English language through Norman French venaison in the 11th century, following the Norman conquest of England and the establishment of Royal Hunting Forests, termed fôret (forest) in Norman French and which were typically a mix of woodland and grazing land (the New Forest being the most well known of these). Indeed, it was the Normans who introduced fallow deer into Britain to supplement the native red deer population (they also introduced rabbits for hunting with hawks).

Venison originally described meat of any game animal killed by hunting and was applied to any animal from the families Cervidae (true deer), Leporidae (rabbits and hares), Suidae (wild boar) and certain species of the genus Capra (goats and ibex). In Southern Africa, the word venison refers to the meat of antelope, a Bovidae taxon, as there are no native Cervidae in sub-Saharan Africa.

Today, in Europe and America, venison is a term most commonly applied to the meats of various deer species, most commonly red deer, elk, fallow deer, roe deer, moose and reindeer/caribou. However, in Southern Africa (where there are no native deer spices), the term venison is typically used to denote the meats of various species of antelope and gazelle instead (the ruminant artiodactyl family) a Bovidae taxon, as there are no native Cervidae in sub-Saharan Africa.

During the Middle Ages, because the best cuts of venison were always destined for the lord's table or the high table, a distinction was made between venison (the prime cuts) and noumbles the offal (particularly the intestines), which were offered to the lower orders. This is why the pie made from these meats, known as Noumble Pie, had mutated linguistically by Stuart times to 'humble pie'.

Though venison is hunted today, it is also a common farmed (or at least ranched) meat (ranched, as no deer, including reindeer, have been wholly domesticated), with red deer, fallow deer and reindeer being the typical ranched species. At culling time, farmed venison can be comparatively priced to beef. However, venison is a much learner meat. Hunted venison (particularly if hung) can have a distinctly gamey note, but farmed venison is comparable to beef in taste and can be substituted for beef in many recipes, particularly for braising and stewing. If roasting venison, however, due to its leanness it is best to either lard the meat or to baste frequently with butter, fat or oil to prevent its drying. As a result, one of the best ways to cook venison is to braise the meat. This also means that venison mince is much leaner than beef mince and you need to add fat to it (bacon, suet, butter or cheese) if cooking in a similar way to beef; particularly if making burgers.

In South Africa, the most commonly sourced antelopes are springbok, kudu, blaesbok and eland. These are fairly commonly available in supermarkets.